Survive
by brienandrea20
Summary: Sarah and Jareth have been broken up for six months, but moving on proves to be futile. During a blind date one evening, Jareth shows up asking for Sarah's help. What could he possibly need help with? Rated M for adult themes. Like smut and language. The good stuff. Set in modern day.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of its associated characters._

So darn, another story. I had to get this out there though. Still messing with the story line, but I'm like 90% sure I know where I want to take it. Story takes place in modern day. J+S are currently broken up at the beginning of this story, and I do plan on making some flashbacks of their relationship so you can see why they're where they're at.

 **Rated M for smut, language, smut...and basically adult themes.**

* * *

Sarah sat by herself at the bar at an upbeat restaurant Downtown, waiting for her date to show. She couldn't believe she agreed to another blind date, but one of her oldest friends from high school, Emiley, had been persistent, promising that _this_ guy was definitely the one for Sarah, though Sarah highly doubted that; any guy Emiley had thrown her way had been a total asshole. She wouldn't press her luck tonight.

Sarah didn't really want to go anywhere either, but it was Friday night and Emiley had already set the date up. Plus, she'd do anything to keep herself busy as a means to not think about _him_ , as she had done for the past six months. So she reluctantly put on her lacey maroon bodysuit with jeans and heels, kept her makeup light and minimal, and curled her long dark hair so that it fell into perfect waves around her shoulders. She had Ubered her way to the bar and restaurant where she and the blind date were to meet, and when she got there, she rolled her eyes at the sight of several people all huddled around the bar from high school who she knew, hoping none had seen her enter. She hated living back home for this exact reason- seeing people from high school annoyed the shit out of her, but she had gotten a great job opportunity at a PR firm and couldn't pass it up.

Trying to avoid being recognized, she had taken a seat at the far end of one of the bars and ordered a gin and tonic with lime juice. Now, here she was, fifteen minutes later, scrolling through Instagram on her phone and still waiting for her date to show up. She sighed and looked around the place, trying to see if she'd notice the man from the picture Emiley had sent her. She remembered him being pretty cute, but she suddenly couldn't remember if his name was Sean or Shane. Shit. She questioned herself as to why she hadn't gotten the guy's number from Emiley, and decided she would leave in five minutes if he didn't show up. Maybe he was looking for her in the restaurant? She was beginning to get irritated, and went back to scrolling through the same pictures she had just looked at on social media.

"Sarah?" she was suddenly being asked.

Sarah looked up from her phone to the person who had said her name, and was delighted to see it was the guy from the photo Emiley sent her a week ago. _Too bad she had deleted the text with his name…_

He smiled, showing off his perfect teeth and Sarah noticed he had one small dimple on his right cheek. He was about six foot, had sandy brown hair which was styled nicely, and his eyes were hazel, with more green than brown. Sarah couldn't help but think he kind of resembled a younger Mark Wahlberg, and she was immediately attracted.

 _Nicely done, Em,_ Sarah thought. _This guy is a total babe._

"That's me," Sarah replied sweetly. "It's nice to meet you," she added, offering her hand. She hoped he'd introduce himself, seeing as she had forgotten his name.

"Nice to finally meet you as well, Sarah. I'm Spencer," he said, shaking hands with hers.

 _Spencer!_ She was so close. Sarah shook hands with this perfect stranger, thinking what strong hands he had and was impressed with his firm shake. She was always one for a proper hand shake; so many people nowadays gave wimpy and limp ones, which she considered unattractive.

"Can I sit?" he then asked.

Sarah took her purse off the bar stool to her left, offering the seat to him. "Of course, please do."

Spencer grinned and sat down next to Sarah, turning his body slightly towards her. She looked him up and down subtly, enthralled that this guy also had good style. He was wearing what looked to be Levi jeans and a black V-neck shirt, exposing his muscular chest. He also wore a silver chain with a dog tag around his neck, something Sarah found to be sexy.

"I am so sorry I'm late, by the way," Spencer began to say. "There was an accident on the freeway and getting off at 16th street was a bitch. I wanted to call and let you know, but Em refused to give me your number and _of course_ she wasn't picking up to pass the message along to you. So I apologize for that. I hope you haven't been here long."

Discerning that his words and attitude seemed genuine, Sarah decided to let him off the hook. "It's okay. I know how the freeways are here. But no, I haven't been waiting long. Only for about twenty minutes, no big deal." Sarah smiled rolled her eyes playfully, hoping he'd catch on that she was teasing him.

His eyes grew wide and he turned a little red. "Aw, shit. That long? Fuck."

"It's no big deal, really. You'll just have to make it up to me," Sarah told him flirtatiously.

Spencer narrowed his eyes lightly and smirked at Sarah's cheekiness. "How should I do that?" he asked.

Sarah sipped the rest of her drink seductively, the gin already going to her legs. "Well for starters, you can buy me another drink," she told Spencer after finishing hers. "Then maybe if you're lucky…dinner afterwards."

Rubbing his hand along his mouth, Spencer could only smile. "I'm definitely feeling lucky," he said after a few seconds. "What would you like to drink?"

Sarah looked from Spencer to the bartender who had made his way over to them. Leaning over the counter so he could hear, Sarah requested another gin and tonic, while Spencer asked for a Stella Artois.

 _A beer drinker, huh? Why am I not surprised. At least he isn't a wine drinker, like_ he _was._

The bartender nodded and went to get them their drinks.

"So, Sarah. What do you do?" Spencer politely asked.

Sarah couldn't help but think how lame the question was. She was sure Emiley had told him anyway, and wanted to skip the all the proper formalities.

"Aw, come on. You can do better than that," Sarah remarked in a lighthearted way. "Didn't Emiley already tell you plenty about me? Knowing her, she probably gave you my entire background."

Chuckling, Spencer answered, "You're right, she did. Somewhat anyway." He grinned at the woman before him. He turned his entire body on the bar stool so he was facing Sarah. "Alright. I'll ask you this instead: what do you _enjo_ y to do? I already know you work in public relations as an event coordinator, you're a Sacramento native who went to Cal Berkeley, which is super impressive might I add, and you love to run half marathons. From what _I_ can tell, you're an insanely gorgeous woman who is probably used to being hit on, making you an occasional ball buster, and you don't take shit from people. Which begs the question as to why you stuck around here around despite my tardiness; you don't look like someone who'd tolerate something like that. In fact, you're probably one of those people who is always on time to everything and even if you're ten minutes early, you think you're late. People generally love you for your fun energy, but can be intimidated by your seemingly aggressive personality, which I was able to take note in immediately as soon as you told me to make it up to you in a suggestive manner. In addition to pointing out that my initial question was basically lame. All qualities I like, might I add."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, impressed with his sudden forwardness and ability to evaluate her well so far. She _was_ used to being called a ball buster weirdly enough, and even though Sarah had a great group of friends and got along with mostly everyone, she had zero patience for stupidity and often rubbed people the wrong way with her candid behavior and outspoken attitude. How he was able to discern that, she didn't know, but she appreciated his honesty. Additionally, he was right – she despised when people were late, given that she always made an effort to be on time.

"Nicely done," she said. "To answer one of your questions, I stuck around here because I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, and I liked my outfit too much to just go back home and drink wine alone while watching Netflix. As for your first question…I enjoy a lot of things. Running is just one of them, but I like a good workout in all forms."

Spencer could only stare at Sarah, clearly enjoying her allusive nature. Just then the bartender came back with their drinks, setting them down carefully. Sarah took hers and took a generous sip, surprised she was enjoying Spencer's company so far.

"My turn," Sarah then said, not giving Spencer a chance to respond on purpose. "I only know that you're a twenty-seven year old engineer for BNC Engineering, Inc., who attended Stanford and graduated Cum Laude. But besides that… Emiley didn't seem too keen on giving me that much information about you. She was probably afraid I'd find you grossly boring or something. Which makes me wonder why. But my guess is that you're most likely a Marvel fanatic and probably know all the lines to Lord of the Rings, in addition to knowing everything about the series by reading the books Appendices. You were possibly always the smartest guy in the room growing up, but felt you had to downplay your intelligence, since you didn't want to be disliked by those around you, because who could ever tolerate a know it all? I can also tell that you like to work out as well, not that I've been staring at your pecs or biceps or anything. You definitely played soccer or lacrosse growing up. You are _for sure_ a people pleaser as well, but not to the point where you'd sacrifice your own dignity. Not too much anyway. Oh, and you probably love cats."

Sarah tossed her hair over her shoulder, and looked at Spencer who seemed perplexed. His hazel-green eyes were even more narrowed than before, and he was clearly trying to take in Sarah's assessment of him.

"How'd I do?" she finally asked.

"I actually prefer DC over Marvel," he answered. "And I only know _some_ Elven language thank you very much."

Sarah laughed and watched as Spencer took out his cell phone. He leaned into Sarah and showed her his screen.

"My cat, Nancy," he explained, displaying his wallpaper to Sarah. "Now _she's_ a ball buster. Well, more like lady killer. She detests other females."

"Hmm, does she meet a lot of them or something?" Sarah joked, trying to implicate Spencer as a man whore.

He looked up, giving Sarah a lopsided grin. "I knew it. You are a ball buster."

"Only sometimes," Sarah responded while shrugging nonchalantly. "By the way, now I know you must have bad taste in most things. I mean, DC over Marvel?"

"Hey, Batman is awesome," Spencer defended.

"And Thor is practically a God," retaliated Sarah. "That's way cooler."

"I guess. If you're into that blonde, mysterious, God-like complex, then sure," he said, putting his phone back in his pocket.

Sarah gulped, her thoughts suddenly turning to something else. More like, _someone_ else. Fuck. And she'd been having fun so far. Why did _he_ always have to go and ruin everything? He wasn't even here and he managed to make Sarah's life dull.

"Sarah? You okay?"

She broke herself out of her thoughts, and looked back to Spencer who had a concerned expression on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just hungry. Do you want to go in the dining area now?"

He seemed unsure and hesitant at Sarah's sudden change of direction, and furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure." They both sat up then, and Spencer added, "I'm guessing I passed stage one?"

Sarah chuckled and grabbed her drink. "I'd say so. But there's still plenty of time, so don't get your hopes up," she teased.

Spencer smiled at Sarah, and allowed her to lead the two of them to the main dining room area, where they waited to be seated. Several minutes later, they were sitting across from one another in a booth, where they continued to chat with one another and Sarah was glad this guy didn't seem shy or act nervous. She had been having fun with him so far, and couldn't help but think this was the best date she'd been on since…well, since _that_ happened. All the other guys she'd gone out with were losers.

About an hour and a half later, as the two shared a pizza, she and Spencer were respectfully debating on which school was better: her alma mater, or his.

"Stanford is harder to get into," Spencer rationalized. "Which means smarter people go there."

"Please. Haven't you ever heard of a teddy tree?" Sarah asked. "Everyone loves bears."

"You're right – how could I have been so stupid?" Spencer said, throwing his palm against his forehead. "Berkeley is _way_ better for that reason."

Sarah laughed and bit her lip. _God he was cute._ Just as she thought this though, she felt a shiver go down her spine and she suddenly felt…paranoid.

"Hey, I'll be right back," Spencer announced, spurring her out of her thoughts momentarily. "Gotta use the bathroom."

"Sounds good. I'll be here," Sarah replied.

Spencer just smiled and got up to use the restroom. That uneasy feeling hadn't left her yet, and she felt extremely unnerved. She looked around the restaurant, trying to find the source of her paranoia but told herself to not worry. No sooner had she tried talking herself out of fear, she saw someone sit down in the booth across from her from her peripheral vision. Turning her head reluctantly, there _he_ was, sitting across from her. She knew from past experience that he never went out in public Aboveground in his usual guise, and tonight was no different.

His blonde hair was in its shorter style and coiffed perfectly. He wore a white button up shirt, leaving the first few buttons undone, which showed off his own muscular chest. His indigo jeans matched the shirt perfectly.

"Jareth! What the hell! What are you _doing_ here?" she asked in a whispered tone, trying to keep her voice calm.

Jareth only smirked pompously, making himself comfortable in the spot where Spencer sat moments ago. "Hello to you as well, dearest. About time he left, even if it's for a few minutes," Jareth responded. "You're looking well."

Sarah pursed her lips. "I'm going to ask you again. What. Are. You. Doing here?" She next crossed her arms and sat up straight.

"So cruel as usual," he said, crossing his own arms. "You aren't even going to ask me how I've been? You haven't changed a bit."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at the man sitting across from her, her mind racing with all kinds of thoughts: the last time he had touched her, the fight they got into moments before that, and the way she felt the next morning after everything happened. She tried putting all that aside, for she didn't want to be distracted. She was on a date for Christ sakes!

"Cut the bullshit, Jareth. I'm on a date, and he's going to be back here soon. So why don't you tell me why you're here. Clearly you've been waiting for the right moment to invade on my personal space, so what do you want?"

Sighing, Jareth said, "Fine, let's get right to the point as always. I'd hate to do anything that isn't done _your_ way."

Sarah only stared at him, trying to ignore his callous attitude towards her.

"I need your help," he admitted, after a few long seconds.

"My help?" Sarah repeated, squinting her eyes in confusion. "What could I possibly do to help you?"

"It's a rather long story," Jareth explained. "And as you pointed out, your date will be back shortly. I don't have enough time to enlighten you on this all right now. Once you are done here with your… _mortal playmate_ , can you please meet me back at your place?"

Sarah felt completely befuddled by Jareth's words and suddenly grew worried. Was he okay? Why did he need her help? Jareth was a magical being who could do practically anything he wanted. The fact he needed _her_ help for anything other than trying to figure out electronics concerned her. Her face softened for a moment.

"Are… are you okay?" she asked him with genuine worry.

"I'm not sure," he said, frowning. "Just…will you please meet me? I can explain everything then."

Sarah looked down to the napkin on her lap. "I don't know, Jareth," she whispered, shaking her head slightly. "After everything that happened, you expect me to just jump at the opportunity to help you?"

"Yes," was all he said.

Sarah's nostrils flared as she breathed in, holding her breath. She hated when he acted domineering. No wait, she remembered loving that fact about him, yet hating it all the same time. Why was everything with him so complicated? She opened her mouth to speak. "I– "

"Hey, man you're in my seat," said a voice out of nowhere.

Both Sarah and Jareth looked up to see her date, who had a puzzled expression on his face. Jareth grinned and stood up, looking the man before him up and down with no subtly.

"Terribly sorry about that. I saw our beloved Sarah here, and thought I'd come over to say hello. We go way back you see," Jareth bit back. He looked over to Sarah, who was bright red, and looked to be simmering. "I'll be off now, though. I hope to see you around, Sarah," he finished saying.

Jareth walked around Spencer, but before he walked away completely, he turned around just as Spencer was sitting back down. "Apple martinis," Jareth said randomly.

"What?" Spencer questioned, not understanding what Jareth had meant.

Jareth only smiled, and looked to Sarah who was giving him a look suggesting, " _You better not fucking say another word."_

"Apple martinis," Jareth said again, still looking at Sarah.

"Jareth, shut up," Sarah chimed in with clenched teeth.

"Two normally does the trick," he went on to say, turning to Spencer now. "After three, she tends to get a bit sloppy, mate."

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows, and looked from Jareth to Sarah and then back and forth again. Sarah groaned, and put her head in her hands, wishing he would just leave already. If he wanted her help so badly, this definitely wasn't the best way to go about it!

"Have a nice evening you two." Jareth walked away and out of the restaurant.

Sarah watched him as he left, a big gaping hole forming in her stomach. She began cursing to herself internally, totally taken back by his presence. _God damnit. Son of a bitch! Motherfuck!_

"Uh, should I ask what that was about?" Spencer then asked, dumbfounded.

Sarah merely shook her head, and put her napkin on the table. "Just an old friend. Don't worry about him, he's troubled."

Before Spencer could say anything else, the waitress came over to check on the two of them.

"Are you guys all finished up here?" she inquired. "Is there anything else I can get you? Another drink, perhaps?"

"Actually, yes," Spencer answered. "I'll do one more Stella and uh…" Spencer looked to Sarah and continued the order. "The lady will take an apple martini."

Sarah turned her head skeptically, completely shocked that Spencer had just said that. So much for thinking he was a nice guy. _Fucking Jareth and his big mouth!_ "Actually no, I'll do a water," Sarah countered, giving Spencer a seething look.

"But you can bring the apple martini anyway," Spencer added, ignoring Sarah's insinuation.

The waitress nodded her head once in understanding and walked away to grab the drinks. Spencer had a smile on his face, and turned to look at Sarah only to see her angry expression.

"Wow. I guess in my assessment earlier I forgot to mention that you're a total ass hat," Sarah curtly said. "And forget I mentioned dignity, you clearly have none," she further went on to say, and then stood up.

Spencer stood up at the same time, not understanding why Sarah was so upset. "Wait, what? You're leaving?"

Grabbing her purse, Sarah told him, "Yes, yes I am leaving. You're ridiculous if you think I'm going to stay here after _that_ little act." The truth was, Sarah wanted to go and see what Jareth wanted, but Spencer didn't need to know that.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd care," Spencer remarked, looking bewildered. "I mean, you were putting out the vibes earlier of wanting to, you know…"

Narrowing her eyes and scoffing, Sarah was completely mystified that anyone would say such a thing. Sure she had been flirtatious, but she didn't think she said or did anything to the extent of saying _Hi, I'm easy, come fuck me._ Did she? Seeing Jareth just threw her off entirely. "Have a good night, Spencer," she rebuked.

Sarah left the imbecile behind and walked outside to the hot summer air. She hadn't thought to get an Uber again, seeing as she didn't anticipate on leaving her date so abruptly. Or seeing her ex-boyfriend for that matter. _Why did he have to look so good?_ Sighing, she pulled out her phone from her purse and ordered an Uber; thirty two dollars for a ten minute drive home. _Lovely._

Once the driver was there, Sarah hopped in the car and anxiously chewed on the tip of her nail, wondering just what in the hell Jareth wanted from her. She hadn't seen him in six months. Or talked to him for that matter. It had been one of the hardest times of her life, but she wouldn't falter or give in to him tonight should he try anything. Things had ended for a reason.

Yet here he was, asking for help. Sarah closed her eyes, images of intimate moments between the two of them popping up from over the course of five years. She trembled, remembering how amazing he had always made her feel, and she suddenly felt warmth between her legs. Just as soon as the feeling came though, it went away when Sarah opened her eyes, trying to force the erotic images from her mind.

 _Stay strong, Sarah. Just find out what he wants, help him to the best of your ability, and be done._

She gulped as the repeated this mantra in her head, hoping she wasn't lying to herself. She promised herself that she wouldn't allow her mind or body to succumb to Jareth again in any way, shape or form.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. She only wished that were true.

* * *

AN: Who else hates running into people from high school? I know I do!

Background between J+S- we'll get there. I don't want to spoil anything yet.

And I know Jareth's presence is super small in this chapter, but he'll be back. Obviously. With a much bigger role. Think 1993 Bowie for his appearance Aboveground ;)

Sarah is 27, and largely resembles J. Connelly around the year 2000. Yeah, I know, I generally like to make my Sarah smart and successful who comes from a well to do family. And Sacramento was the first place that popped into my mind regarding her hometown.

And Spencer, oh Spencer. Seems like such a cool guy at first, then basically suggests he only wanted one thing and took advantage of a supposed opportunity. Typical. I wanted him to resemble Mark Wahlberg from Planet of the Apes (circa 2000). I love Marky Mark, so if he isn't your speed then try imagining him as something else? Haha.

The apple martini's scene largely inspired from the movie The Breakup with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. Love that movie.

Not sure when I'll update next, should be soon. Hopefully. Please review! I love them :)


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, I lied. I decided to update today. So enjoy! :)

* * *

 ***** _ **5 years ago***_

"Sarah, you need to pull yourself together," Emiley strained to say as she held Sarah upright.

Laughing uncontrollably, Sarah almost brought the two down to the ground. "Why sho serioush?" Sarah asked her blonde friend, puckering her lips at the same time.

Emiley couldn't help but laugh too. "Alright Joker, that's it. No more apple martinis for you. Come on, let's get you up these steps."

Sarah tried standing up straighter to help alleviate her friend the pain of carrying Sarah up the steps to the second floor in the apartment complex they shared. After several minutes, they had made it, and as soon as Sarah saw the couch in the living room, she plopped down on it facedown while Emiley went to get ready for bed.

"Uggghhh! Thish feels so good," Sarah slurred. She turned over so she was laying on her back now, but closed her eyes due to the spinning she started experiencing. "Fuck," she muttered. "Em?"

"Yeah?" her friend bellowed from the bedroom nearby.

"I need…help."

Emiley came sauntering back out in her pajamas and placed a hand on her hip as she stared at her incapacitated friend. "Sarah. You only have yourself to blame. I'll get you some Advil and water, but this is the last time, I swear. You have got to lay off the hardcore drinking and calling me to come get to you at 2 am. It's getting old."

"Mmmm…." Sarah mumbled, putting her forearm over her face.

Sighing in annoyance, Emiley went to get Sarah the water and Advil. She brought it over to her drunken friend, who sat up reluctantly and began chugging the bottle of water.

"Sarah…I love you, but, you need to shower. That vomit is starting to seep from your pores," Emiley mentioned as she watched Sarah drink.

Breathing out heavily after she finished the water, Sarah smiled, her eyes half closed due to her drunken stupor. "I def don't smell," she replied, sniffing her armpits. Her face scrunched up after she did indeed get a whiff of barf emanating from her hair.

"Exactly," Emiley retorted, smiling. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Emiley helped Sarah to her bedroom, where she began to undress. After Emiley guided her friend to the steaming shower, Sarah got in and immediately placed her palms flat against the tile to support herself. She stood there for several minutes, letting the water cascade down her body. When she felt up to it, she began washing her hair and body ever so slowly, trying to avoid getting more nauseous. After she was done, she then threw on a t-shirt and underwear and hopped into bed.

"That is it…" she told herself. "No more drinking."

"Sarah? Everything alright?" Emiley then asked from the doorway. She walked over to Sarah's bed and sat on the edge, with another glass of water in hand. "I'll leave this here for you in case you get thirsty in the middle of the night. I wouldn't want you to turn into SpongeBob when he visited Sandy's house."

Sarah chuckled and turned to her side so she facing Emiley. "Hey, Emiley?" she asked innocently.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think he ever thinks about me?"

Emiley furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding what Sarah was talking about. "Who?"

"Jareth," Sarah replied sleepily.

Tilting her head in more confusion, Emiley asked, "Who is that? You've never mentioned a Jareth to me before."

"I wish he were with me right now," Sarah said with eyes closed as she turned away from Emiley. "He probably hates me though. I did beat him ya know."

Raising an eyebrow, Emiley really had no clue what Sarah was going on about. "Uh…okay. Well…whoever he is…he'd be crazy to hate you. Get some sleep Sarah, I think you're half dreaming. Love you."

Emiley stood up and closed Sarah's door on her way out, leaving her best friend alone in her bed. She didn't know who or what this Jareth guy was, but the way Sarah mentioned him sounded a lot like…longing? She wasn't sure, for she had never heard of the dude. Emiley shrugged and just told herself it was because Sarah was drunk and had no idea what she was even talking about.

While Emiley contemplated Sarah's words, Sarah laid in bed, and began to drift off. Right as she was surrendering to the dream that tried taking over her mind, she could have sworn she felt the presence of some other entity in her room. Her jade green eyes swept open, and Sarah had momentarily forgotten she was incredibly drunk. Sitting up, she looked straight in her room and saw the outline of…a person?

"Em? Is that you?" she asked out loud, holding the comforter to her chest.

"Hello, Precious."

* * *

 _ ***Present Day***_

"We're here, ma'am."

Sarah's head turned to the voice abruptly, pulling her thoughts back into the present. She hadn't even paid attention to her whereabouts on the drive to her place, as her mind went back to the night she and Jareth met for the second time.

"Oh, sorry," she responded. "Thanks so much," she added as she got out of the car.

The driver drove away, and Sarah let out a breath of air. She was dreading going inside her home, not feeling quite ready to face Jareth. Pulling out her house keys, she unlocked her front door anyway, and looked around the darkness, trying to see if she'd notice him anywhere.

"Jareth?"

"In here, Precious," came his deep and seductive voice from what sounded like her office.

Sarah followed the sound and switched on the light, only to find Jareth sitting in the small couch occupying the corner of the room. She noticed that he was still in his human disguise, drinking bourbon - the alcohol he had left behind months ago. She kept forgetting to throw it out and worried that Jareth found the accidental act to be sentimental.

"Oh, please, do make yourself comfortable," she said sarcastically, throwing her purse on the floor.

He looked up from his drink and smirked at Sarah. "Thank you, I have been. I hope you enjoyed your _date,_ and didn't have too many martinis. _"_

Sarah flipped him off, making Jareth chuckle. "I did enjoy it, thanks. Spencer is really great," she lied. She refused to take the bait and tell him that Spencer had taken Jareth up on his advice regarding the apple martinis. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction knowing his little plan had worked.

Jareth only snickered. He could sense that Sarah wasn't being totally honest. "Seems like it. You're back so soon, after all."

"Yeah, well. Regardless of how I feel about you, my curiosity got the better of me," Sarah said, sitting down in the love seat that sat on the other side of the office. "So what do you need help with?"

"Can't we just catch up before I work our minds into a frenzy?" Jareth requested, putting his head back against the cushion of the couch.

Narrowing her eyes, Sarah looked to the gorgeous blonde man sitting across from her. "Seriously? What would we even talk about?"

Sighing, Jareth looked back to Sarah. "Oh, I don't know. How's the family?"

Sarah only rolled her eyes. "Annoying and nosey." She didn't have to say more since Jareth knew all the details about her family – they meant well, but they often tried dictating the way Sarah lived her life and were extremely judgmental when she didn't do things that appeased them. Toby was the only one who she cared to stay in touch with. Then there was her biological mother who Sarah got exasperated with within moments of being around her. Sometimes she felt like the only normal one out of them.

Jareth nodded slowly. "Have any of them asked about us?"

Sarah's nostrils flared, not wanting to talk about this with him. "What do you think? And why are you still in your human getup?"

"I'm too lazy to change," Jareth answered with a smirk on his face. "What have they said?"

"Why do you care to know?" Sarah questioned in a harsh tone.

Jareth threw his hands up in a _I surrender_ motion. "Say no more, I suppose. I was only curious if they were happy things ended between us. They never did think I was good enough for you."

"And you weren't," Sarah spat, somewhat regretting the words soon after she said them. She wanted to hurt him, wanted him to feel like shit after everything that had happened. Was that immature of her to do? Probably. But she never got much of a chance to have closure, and all the pent up anger was beginning to come out.

"You're right," Jareth replied somberly, making Sarah's eyes water instantly.

 _This is not happening,_ she thought. She immediately stood up and faced away from Jareth, staring at the wall in front of her. She closed her eyes, telling herself to not cry. Not here, not like this. Her breathing was unsteady, and all she really wanted to do was find solace in the one person who just happened to break her heart all those months ago.

Sensing her sadness, Jareth set his drink down and stood up to comfort Sarah. He wasn't sure how she'd react, but something told him she would eventually relent, even if it were for but a moment. He nervously put his hands on her waist, feeling her body flinch, but she didn't move away.

Resting his chin on her right shoulder, he sighed. "I know you want nothing to do with me. And I know I hurt you. But you hurt me too, Sarah. These past several months have been hell, and it's taken every ounce of my entire being to not come here and beg you for another chance."

Sarah's eyes closed and her head fell back into Jareth's neck. God, she loved the feeling of his hands being on her again. How was he able to make her feel this way? Just when Jareth's hands slid up and down Sarah's arms, she caught herself as she felt her body surrendering to Jareth's whim. She forced her eyes open and herself out of his embrace, turning to look at him. His expression was that of sorrow, his icy blue eyes conveying his feelings.

"No. No more chances," Sarah dryly said, taking a step back. "We gave each other too many."

Jareth simply smiled, though it was more of a frown. "As you wish."

Sighing loudly, Sarah crossed her arms, trying to pretend the two of them didn't just share a tender moment. "Are you done trying to catch up with me?"

Jareth frowned even more, but decided to not add fuel to the fire. "Will you have a seat at least? So I can update you on everything that has happened?"

Dropping her arms to her sides, Sarah did as Jareth asked and sat down on the same couch she found him in earlier. The two of them sat in silence, studying each other. The tension was too much for Sarah to handle, so she looked to the floor, and cleared her throat.

"So, um. What exactly is going on?" she asked, avoiding eye contact with Jareth. "And why did you come to me of all people to assist you?"

"Do you want the long version or short version?" he wanted to know.

"Just give me a brief overview now, then fill me in on whatever I need to know later."

Without further ado, Jareth began to explain himself. "The High Court is seriously debating as to whether or not I'm fit to continue ruling the Goblin Kingdom."

This made Sarah widen her eyes and she looked right into Jareth's blue ones. "Wh…what? Why?"

Jareth didn't respond right away, not wanting to piss the scorned woman off even more. But she needed to know if he was going to get her help. "They think I'm unfit…Because of you."

* * *

AN: Still curious as to what the breakup was about? We'll get there. Eventually. Through flashbacks and insinuations in the conversations that take place between Sarah and Jareth. Sorry for the way short chapter by the way. They'll be long(er) from here on out, probably somewhere from 4-5k words like Ch. 1 was.

For future reference, Emiley will resemble Kate Upton as far as looks go :)


	3. Chapter 3

Another one bites the dust! Enjoy! :)

* * *

"Excuse me?" Sarah snapped in response to Jareth's comment. "What the hell did I do? If anything, I tried staying away as much as I could from that god awful place you call home."

"We don't need to get into the details about how you feel regarding the Underground, Sarah. You've made it _abundantly_ clear how you feel towards it," Jareth remarked, knowing full well that near the end of their time together, Sarah despised going to his world. He didn't know when that had all changed, for she used to love going to the Underground. _Women can never make up their mind_. "Besides, it doesn't necessarily have to do with you visiting the Underground with me in recent years," he added.

"Good, it shouldn't," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "So why exactly are they blaming me then?"

Jareth stood up, trying to think of how he would explain why the High Court deemed him as unfit to rule without telling Sarah the full and truthful reason. He refused to let her in any more of his feelings; he could only be rejected so many times. So he decided to go with the half-truth. "The Labyrinth saw you as its Queen, and without you by my side it…it doesn't feel fulfilled. It's faltering. Thus affecting the Underground."

Sarah scoffed, and raised her eyebrows. "What? That's ridiculous for it to feel that way. You and I could never agree on…"

"…That doesn't matter," Jareth interrupted rashly. "You were my chosen mate in its eyes and you beat it, so naturally it saw you as one half of its master. Look, all you need to know is that the Labyrinth hasn't been well since your leave. If it crumbles, then the Underground is vulnerable."

Sarah turned her head slightly, trying to understand what Jareth was implying. _Why would it suddenly feel this way?_ She just didn't get it. She was also afraid to hear the answer to her next question, and gulped. "Vulnerable to what?"

Jareth only sighed and looked up towards the ceiling before answering Sarah. "Extinction."

Sarah's face got tense, and for a moment she stopped breathing. She looked to the floor, trying to wrap her brain around all of this. _Jareth? Extinct? Oh no…_

"Well shit…" she whispered to herself, feeling her face go white. "That's definitely not good, Jareth."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, precious."

"Why extinction?" Sarah asked nervously.

"I've told you before, the Labyrinth acts as an equilibrium within the Underground. Should it lose stability, then it reaps unwanted consequences throughout my world."

Sarah shook her head, not believing there wasn't anything to be done that could help the situation. "Can't you just fix it?" she asked. "You're its main ruler, so you should be able to do something about it. Right?"

"It isn't that simple, precious," Jareth answered. "The Labyrinth is an ancient and complicated entity. Even I don't always fully understand it." Of course, he was lying as he said this. Jareth knew exactly why the Labyrinth was in the state it was in. And unfortunately it was because of Sarah.

Sarah simply glared at him. "I still don't get what this has to do with the High Court? Do they know about our separation or something?" _They must know if they're suddenly blaming me_ , she thought.

"Yes."

 _Figures_. "How?"

Jareth began pacing now. "That's beside the point, but it would seem that…they did some investigating as to why the Labyrinth hasn't been in a stabilized condition, and somehow were able to discern that you ran it twelve years ago. How, I do not know. But they came to me with questions and I was forced to tell them about our past and how we really met. I explained our relationship but that you were also no longer in the picture, though they were none too pleased with the situation regardless."

Sarah looked down and scrunched her face in confusion. "You mean they didn't already know I ran it? About how we met?" she asked, mildly surprised by this information. How did she not know this? "Why would you keep that a secret?"

"I kept it that way for a good reason," Jareth replied, not wanting to get into _that_ topic right now. "You needn't worry about why. I didn't think they would notice, after all they didn't even find out about your run when the Labyrinth was in turmoil the first time." Right when Jareth finished his sentence, he closed his eyes. _Fuck,_ he thought. _I shouldn't have said that._

Sarah stood up, standing directly in front of Jareth. "Wait what? This has happened to the Labyrinth before?"

Jareth rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself for bringing this up. Of course this had happened before; she left him that time as well, but again- he wouldn't let her in on why that mattered so much. He'd have to tell her some aspect of the truth though. "Yes. It has happened before, though not enough damage was caused to the point where the High Court noticed."

Sarah's green eyes were wide with shock. "You never told me that, Jareth," she said with a stern tone. She crossed her arms, waiting to hear what he'd have to say about that.

Turning away from her, Jareth sighed in defeat. "It doesn't matter, Sarah. It was before you and I found each other again and all was well after that. Until now."

She shook her head, not satisfied with that answer. She was still confused about everything. "Alright, walk me through this slowly," Sarah said, turning him to face her again. "So, the Labyrinth is falling apart. _Again,_ apparently. The High Court noticed something was off with it this time around, did some investigating and learned that I ran it twelve years ago. Then they came to you, asked about me, and formulated a theory that I was the reason behind all of this? Do I have that correct?"

"I believe that about sums it up, yes," Jareth replied sullenly.

It was then Sarah noticed that Jareth looked utterly spent. She didn't pay much attention earlier, but he looked weary and…tired. She'd never seen him look this way before and she couldn't help but feel bad that his stress was somehow because of her. Which brought her to her next question. "And _why_ exactly do they blame me again? What, because the Labyrinth is being a whiny bitch, misses me, and is pouting that we broke up so now it's self destructing?"

"You don't understand, Sarah," Jareth responded. "The Labyrinth requires rulers to oversee it; it saw you as one of them since you managed to prove yourself worthy. And you're being blamed because one, in their mind you distracted me from my duties as a king, naturally. It is my job to ensure the vitality of the Labyrinth and bringing you into my world disrupted that, according to them. Secondly, like I said, they don't think you're upholding your duty as a master of the Labyrinth."

Technically, he wasn't lying, Jareth trying convincing himself; he was being blamed for "neglecting" his duties, and yes- Sarah is partly to blame for that. Though unfairly. It wasn't her fault he fell in love. Being Fae already came with the notion that love was dangerous. And being the ruler of his land, it wasn't expected of him to be vulnerable and _ever_ truly fall in love.

"Pff. I distracted you, right," Sarah retorted. "If only they knew how _not_ distracted you became in past year then they'd change their mind on that. Oh and thanks for keeping me a dirty secret from the Court all these years by the way, I appreciate that."

Sarah looked around the room, not knowing what to say next. She took Jareth's words into consideration, then something came to mind. "I thought you said this didn't have anything to do with me being in the Underground or coming to your world."

Jareth was beginning to get irritated with all this back and forth rhetoric. He just needed to know if she'd help him with this little information. "Sarah, will you just…will you help me or not?" he asked impatiently.

Sarah only pursed her lips in displeasure. She still had a million questions, but she could tell Jareth wasn't open for more discussion. "You still haven't even told me how I can help you."

"I was planning on getting there, you see."

Sitting back down on the couch, Sarah said, "Okay, so tell me." She supposed she'd ask everything at a later time, when Jareth was more calm.

"I need you to appear in court," he simply answered.

Silence lingered in the air between them for several seconds before Sarah said anything. "Um, I'm sorry. What now?"

"And act as a witness to testify that our time together did not distract me to the point that I neglected my duties as King of the Goblins and Labyrinth," Jareth added. He hoped she would say yes without asking more questions.

"Wait. You want _me_ , of all people, to come to court and tell them what an amazing king you are, how strong and brave I knew you to be, and all that flowery stuff?"

Jareth couldn't help but smile at Sarah's words. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

"I feel like you aren't telling me something," she answered back, turning her head and narrowing her eyes at Jareth in suspicion.

He chuckles at her observations. She has a good reason to believe that. "I've told you everything you need to know."

Sarah leans back into the cushions, trying to come across as nonchalant. "Won't they find it to be a conflict of interest though?" she asked mockingly. "I mean, as your ex-lover and girlfriend they'll probably assume everything I say is biased."

"You'll be under a truth spell, so unfortunately anything you say may _not_ be biased."

She raises her eyebrows. _A truth spell? Good god._ "You're willing to take a chance on me if I'm under a truth spell? What if I say mean things about you that make you look even worse?"

"You won't."

"How do you know that?" she asked him, becoming nervous.

Jareth took a step towards Sarah and knelt on the floor, putting a sole finger under her chin. "Because I know you. Under this tough act and scorned facade, I know you care about me. And I trust you."

Sarah swallowed, hating how close they were. Again. "Well, I don't trust you."

Lowering his finger and smiling half-heartedly, he said, "You say that, but we both know you're lying."

She kept her eyes locked on his blue ones, wanting to give in but refused. "Always so cocky."

Jareth stood up again, making Sarah look up to him. "Will you come?" he asked.

"Maybe. What's in it for me?"

Frowning, Jareth rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Sarah?"

When Sarah didn't say anything and merely smiled, he sighed and gave in. "What do you want?"

Sarah once again stood up and brushed past Jareth, making sure he felt her body against his, even if it was brief. "I'll let you know when I think of something." She walked a few inches away from him and turned back around. "When is this hearing anyway?"

"So you'll help?" Jareth asked in a hopeful tone.

Sarah let out a breath of air, not quite believing she was about to say this so easily. "Yes, Jareth. I'll help."

He smiled, showing off his pointy teeth and strode towards her. "It's next Saturday."

"Am I supposed to prepare a speech?"

"No need," Jareth told her. "I'll collect you the morning of."

"Can't wait," Sarah replied sarcastically, watching Jareth walk away.

Before he took another step though, he stopped, and turned his head to the side. "Sarah, I know we've had our issues. And I know you don't have to do this. But I'm eternally grateful. And…I'm so sorry."

Sarah's face contorted into that of confusion. Why was he saying this? Was she doomed or something now? "For…for what?"

"For everything I ever did that hurt you."

And with that he was gone, leaving Sarah alone in silence. She couldn't believe everything that was happening. The thought of Jareth being doubted as a King, losing his throne, and going extinct made Sarah feel nauseous. Sure they had their issues, but he was right earlier- she did care about him; she always would. There were many unanswered questions she still had, but she assumed everything would be made clearer come the hearing. The thought made her anxious. What if she said something stupid? Or said something on accident to indict Jareth?

She bit her lip, hating that he was in this situation and she was the supposed cause of it. Why did the High Court put so much blame on her? Just because the Labyrinth was throwing a hissy fit that she and Jareth ended things? Speaking of which, she also didn't quite understand _why_ the Labyrinth would see her as one half of a whole as its master. Jareth had never even mentioned that throughout their relationship. Something wasn't adding up, but she didn't want to push him. She knew him well and she could tell he was stressed and scared, though he'd never fully admit that.

Walking back into the living room in the pitch black, Sarah stared outside one of the windows. Her mind went back to the night she met him again, and she smiled, thinking back to the first couple of months where they got reacquainted again.

* * *

 ** _*5 years prior*_**

"Sarah, I don't think I can do this."

"Sure you can. Here, step on the grass first."

Jareth did as Sarah suggested, while holding onto her.

"Alright now, just take a few slow steps, and move one foot forward while gradually increasing pressure on that foot until almost none on the other," Sarah explained. "Then, do the same with the other foot until you are able to glide back and forth a few times."

It had been three months since Jareth appeared to Sarah in her room that fateful night. After she got past the shock of him showing up, they caught up – more like fought – and Sarah had soon past out once they managed to settle their differences. She awoke the next afternoon with a killer headache and had momentarily thought she dreamt everything until she saw a feather and note on her nightstand from Jareth, saying he'd like to see her again.

She didn't know why it left butterflies in her stomach, but it was an opportunity she felt she couldn't pass up. Especially when she remembered telling him she'd like to start over fresh. With that, the two began to visit with each other regularly and went on small excursions around Sacramento where they got ice cream, went to parks, saw movies…did human things, that Jareth was somewhat familiar with but not in its entirety. Three months later, on one particular day, she decided to teach him how to rollerblade, though he wasn't sure it was a good idea.

"I don't understand this!" Jareth exclaimed. "What fool _glides_ with wheels under their shoe? It's absurd. And dangerous."

Sarah slapped her hand over her face; he was such a prima donna. "It is not. It's called having fun. And don't talk to me about dangerous. You sent a large piece of machine after me with BIGGER wheels _and_ it had razor sharp knives and swords attached to it might I add."

Jareth huffed. "I thought we cleared this up the night I came to you while you were in an obliterated state."

"One, I was not obliterated. I can handle my apple martinis. Two, we never cleared it up. I'll hold that against you forever," Sarah teased. "Okay, now. Back to blading. Take your time. Don't hurry, but don't move too slow either. You need to feel confident and have strong mental composure."

Jareth looked to Sarah as though he were suggesting, " _Don't you know who you are talking to?"_

Laughing, Sarah shook her head. "If it's so easy then go for it. And no magic!"

"Fine, fine." Jareth took a deep breath and began his attempt to rollerblade on the concrete. He took his hands off of Sarah's shoulder and walked out past the grass and onto the ground where he started _gliding_ as Sarah called it. He smiled to himself when he felt he was getting the hang of it and began moving a little bit faster, despite Sarah telling him not to. _This was a piece of cake._

"Don't get frustrated if you fall! And don't forget to brake!" he suddenly heard her yell from behind him.

Brake? She never mentioned anything about braking! How did he brake? Jareth found himself losing his mental composure at the thought of not being able to brake, and before he knew it, he lost his balance and fell sideways, scraping his elbow and right knee. His butt also didn't feel that great. _Blast._

Sarah came running over instantly, and he was grateful she seemed worried. At least, he thought she would be. Instead she came over laughing hysterically as Jareth sat on the ground, staring up at her with menacing eyes.

"Oh my god, you should have seen yourself," Sarah cried as she hunched over. "You totally ate shit."

Jareth simply crossed his arms, not amused by her antics. He continued to narrow his eyes and not say anything.

"Oh alright. Are you okay?" she then asked, wiping a tear from her eye. "I know falling can hurt."

Standing up and wiping himself down to regain his composure, Jareth sighed. "I'm fine, I think. Though it would appear that I endured some battle wounds."

Sarah smiled at his overreaction, and took his arm into her hands where she examined the small cut on his elbow and scrape on his forearm. "I'll put a band aid on it, if you want."

"That won't be necessary," Jareth replied, and brushed his own hand over his injuries.

Sarah watched as the vanished and chuckled. "Well that's handy. Now I know who to call whenever I have a cut or bruise."

"I'd be happy to help anytime."

"Are there anymore _wounds_ you have, you big baby?" Sarah questioned in jest.

Jareth looked up and straight ahead, as though he were thinking about where he had anymore abrasions. "There is one spot I wasn't able to reach," he mentioned, gazing back to Sarah.

"Where?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

Jareth simply pointed to his lips, making Sarah grin and roll her eyes. She couldn't believe how cheesy he was being.

"I didn't realize you had fallen on your face," she pointed out, putting her hands on her hips.

Striding towards her to get closer, Jareth only smiled, but Sarah noticed it was a nervous smile. "I've definitely fallen," he said. "Just not on my face."

Sarah's own smile widened a bit, and that about did it. She suddenly realized that she wanted to kiss him more than words could explain, and she felt her face soften. She couldn't believe he had expressed his feelings first. Smirking a little, she closed the gap between them and stood on her tip toes. She bit her bottom lip, and ever so slowly hovered her lips over his. They were both holding their breath, the anticipation too much. Jareth then grasped her hips, his arm muscles hard his eyes soft. As he lowered his mouth and rested his lips on hers, a car drove by, honking its horn.

"Perhaps we should get out of the middle of the street," Jareth murmured.

"You're probably right," Sarah replied, laughing as she grabbed his hand and guided him to the nearest spot of grass.

It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship for the two, though neither though about nor considered the fact that they were both from completely different worlds.

* * *

AN: If things seem a bit confusing right now... don't worry everything will be cleared up soon, I promise. Jareth is hesitant to tell Sarah the **full** on truth right now about why the Labyrinth is slowly deteriorating, and it's understandable as to why. It also might help her testimony if she's in the dark about a few things.

I got PM'ed this question a few times- **Was the breakup caused by cheating?** I'm going to answer this now and get it out of the way; no, they didn't break up due to cheating. Believe me, I know how monotonous that gets in a story. And maybe the real reason they did break up is monotonous too, but it just makes the most sense to me. You'll see when we get there.

Rollerblading = fun and dangerous haha. I always hated skating, it seemed way harder to me than rollerblading. And falling sucks. But nothing beats the feeling of being thrown off when you're inner tubing. Now that shit hurts. But it's so worth it. I was hoping to do that this weekend for my 25th bday (gosh I'm a quarter of a century old tomorrow) but then I realized none of my friends have a boat. So I'll be wine tasting in Napa instead. Seems safer to get drunk in the 90+ degree weather.

Please review, they make me happy! :D


	4. Chapter 4

I hope you guys are enjoying this one so far! I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts; what's working, what isn't, what you'd LIKE to see, etc. Thanks! :)

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Labyrinth or any of its characters.

* * *

Sarah's thoughts of she and Jareth's first kiss were interrupted when she heard her cell phone go off. Space Oddity played in a muffled tune, for her phone was lost somewhere within her purse. Walking back to the office that Jareth had just walked out of, she picked up her purse and saw a missed call from Emiley. Probably wondering how the date went, if Sarah had to guess. She sighed and called her friend back, despite not really wanting to.

"I just tried calling you, you biatch," Emiley said as she answered.

"I know, I'm sorry. My purse was in the den," Sarah responded.

"It's all good. So how did it go tonight! Was Spencer everything you hoped for and more?"

Sarah turned to walk out of the den and up the stairs to her bedroom. "Yeah, I don't think that's going to work out, Em."

She heard Emiley groan from the other side of the phone. "What!? Why! I thought you'd totally be into him!"

"And I was. Until he made a complete ass out of himself and assumed apple martinis were the just the trick to fuck me."

"Ew, seriously? Wait, how did he find out about your apple martini problem? You told him?"

Sarah scrunched up her face as her eyes closed, and she pounded her palm against her forehead. _Shit._ How was she going to get herself out of this one? She definitely was not about to tell her that Jareth had showed up during the date. "Uh, I think I might have told him a short story about how I drank too many once or something, I don't really remember. But yeah, what a waste right? He's super-hot too."

Sarah only heard Emiley groan again. "Ugh, Sarah I swear. You're so god damn picky and your standards are ridiculous."

 _Not true_ , Sarah thought to herself. "Hardly. Look, all I ask for is a good looking man who can mentally stimulate me, challenge me, make me laugh, and fuck my brains out. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Oh, okay your majesty," Emiley said after scoffing. "Let me find you another unicorn whose name just happens to be Jareth."

Sarah paused on her staircase and furrowed her eyebrows at Emiley's comment. Why would she say that? When Sarah didn't respond, Emiley sighed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But, I mean… seriously Sarah. I know you're secretly comparing. It's been six months. You need to move on…"

Reaching her bedroom finally, Sarah threw herself down on her soft bed and exhaled loudly. "I don't _need_ to do anything first of all. Plus I _have_ been going on dates and seeing new people, but they all suck."

"Like I said, you're probably comparing them to Jareth too much," Emiley mumbled. "Have…have you talked to him at all by the way?"

"No, I haven't," Sarah lied as she inspected her nails on her left hand. "And no, I am not comparing. Believe me, the last thing I want is to be with some selfish, arrogant, uncompromisable jerk again," Sarah bitterly added, hoping Emiley wouldn't come to his defense. She had always been a fan of Jareth in the past, and often took his side over Sarah's which drove her nuts. In fact, most of Sarah's friends had. What the hell was up with that?

"Jareth wasn't that bad, Sarah," Emiley countered. "Plus…I mean, you couldn't compromise on certain things either…"

Sarah sat back up and felt her forehead wrinkle. Of course she'd say that. "Whose side are you on here? You just told me to move on and now you're saying it's my fault we broke up?"

"That is not what I said, and of course I'm here to support you. But seeing as you're the one who decided to break up with Jareth… you owe it to yourself to be happy," Emiley gently replied.

Sarah held out a finger though no one was there to see. "Let's get one thing straight: I _am_ happy and it was a _mutual_ break up," Sarah said matter of fact, holding up another finger. "Two...I compromised a lot for that relationship just so you know." _More than she knows…_

"Fine, whatever you say," Emiley hastily said. "Look, will you just give Spencer another chance? Please? He really is a great guy. And whatever he did probably wasn't cool, but if I know you at all you were probably being a huge tease and gave him some sort of implied impression. You said you've been feeling frisky lately, so…what harm could it do," Emiley tried reasoning.

Sarah snarled her lip. Why was everyone asking things from her tonight? She really wasn't interested in going back out with Spencer; earlier had just left a bad taste in her mouth. But what the hell. Maybe she'd need a distraction from all this sudden Jareth shit and a good lay did sound kind of nice. Lord knows she needed an orgasm, and not from her vibrator.

"Fine," she relented. "Give me his number and I'll tell him I was just in a bad mood tonight. And that he also really needs to make up for his douche behavior."

"Yay!" Emiley exclaimed. "Okay I'll text it to you now. Talk soon."

"Bye, Em."

Sarah hung up and fell back into her bed again. She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. What a whirl wind of a night. First her date goes awry thanks to Jareth, and then he drops a bomb on her. And she couldn't believe Emiley had just called her out on not being able to compromise with him in the past. She _had_ compromised plenty for him. If only Emiley knew who Jareth really was, then she'd totally have Sarah's back.

Opening her eyes back up slowly, Sarah swallowed hard when she remembered there had been a time during her and Jareth's relationship where the two compromised on nearly everything, including the time she wanted to taken back to the Underground. It took a little convincing on her part.

* * *

 ** _*5 years ago*_**

"It's time for you to take me back, Jareth. I mean my God, it's been six months."

Jareth muted the television as Sarah pouted in her t-shirt and boy shorts from the other side of the living room. They'd had this conversation several times before, and of course she felt it necessary to bring up as he was watching Game of Thrones. He then let out an annoyed sigh, hating that he was about to miss Ned Stark being beheaded. "Why are you so hell bent on going back there? It isn't safe for you, Sarah, I've told you this."

Sarah put her hands on her hips. "And how's that? I was just fine before, as _I've_ said."

"You were under my sole protection last time that's why," Jareth explained. "The moment you come back there with me everything changes for us. Fae and other beings will know we're together, something I'm trying to avoid for the time being."

Lowering her arms to both sides of her body, Sarah frowned and she pretended to give puppy eyes. "You don't want to show me off?"

"That isn't it," Jareth disputed, as he stood up. He walked over to Sarah and rubbed her shoulders with his gloved hands. "I'd love nothing more than to show you off."

"Then what is it?" Sarah demanded to know. "Are you ashamed of me? Is it because I'm not immortal or something?"

"No, Sarah. It's. It's complicated…"

Sarah rolled her eyes and turned away, folding her arms. "It really isn't. I get that your world is dark and dangerous and you're still in the medieval times, but that's why I have you." She turned back around to face Jareth. "You'll be protecting me again. Come on, Jareth. If we're going to be in a relationship together then don't you think it's only fair I come to your world too? You're here with me all the time."

"Your point?"

Sarah sighed. "A relationship is a two way street. Not a highway and a bike path. I can't expect you to be up here twenty four seven with me…without me giving you something back."

"I enjoy spending time with you here, though," Jareth told her. "Here everything is easy. And I don't expect you to come there with me just because I'm here with you."

"But _here_ isn't _home._ For you, I mean. Plus, I miss my friends. I miss the magic. Don't be an ass about this."

Jareth smirked and took another step forward towards Sarah. "You want me to do what with your ass?"

"Shut up," Sarah said with a smile, though she was trying to hide it. "I'm serious. Please, will you think about it?"

Letting out a huff, Jareth looked at his beloved. How could he say no to her? "Fine," he finally said after a minute.

Sarah squealed. "Okay, good. But don't think too hard. Otherwise I'll have to use my chocolate fudge cake against you."

Right when Sarah said this, Jareth's eyes widened. She knew how much he loved chocolate fudge cake. "You wouldn't."

"Oh…I would."

Jareth was suddenly on Sarah, tackling her lightly and bringing her to down to the carpeted floor.

"Jareth!" Sarah yelled, laughing. "What the hell?"

"Take it back," he said, tickling her now.

Her laughing continued. "Never!"

Jareth could see her eyes were beginning to water from the pain of being tickled, and he knew it was only a matter of time until she gave in.

"Give in, precious. I can keep going all day," he teased as he found the spot right under her belly.

"Okay, okay! I won't stop making you chocolate cake!"

With that, Jareth stopped and smiled at the woman beneath him. Her t-shirt had risen a significant amount, leaving half her stomach exposed. His eyes roamed her slender yet toned body and stopped when they reached the waistband of her underwear. Sarah could feel his eyes on her body, which made her bite her lip. She loved knowing she had such an effect on him.

"See something you like?" she asked.

"I'll take you to the Underground," he said out of nowhere.

Sarah's eyes widened at his abrupt statement and all she could do was throw her arms around Jareth's neck. God she loved him. But she couldn't tell him that; not yet. She was waiting for him to say it first. It had only been six months, after all.

"On one condition," he added.

Sarah broke free from her hold on him and grinned as she tilted her head. "What is it?"

"You need to make me a chocolate cake now."

Sarah smirked. She eyed him up and down and slowly began unbuttoning Jareth's shirt. "I was thinking of another kind of dessert, if you're interested."

Smiling, Jareth responded, "I'm always interested, precious."

* * *

 ** _*Present day*_**

Sarah sighed and wished everything could be that easy between the two of them again. But sooner or later, the honeymoon phase goes away and reality sets in. Sooner or later…things get harder to agree upon. She wished she'd known just how hard things would be to agree on in the beginning. Why couldn't anything ever just be easy?

Sitting up from bed, Sarah went to go wash her face and change into her pajamas. She was completely distracted, for her mind kept going into montage mode of she and Jareth's happy days, muddled with the not so happy ones. Seeing him tonight had stirred up all kinds of emotions inside her; confusion, anger, yearning, desire, and heartache. Just when she thought she was moving on with her life, he comes in and not only looks sexy as hell, but he asks for her help.

She had said yes without even really thinking about it. Not that she needed a lot of time to do so, she would have never truly said no. And the bastard knew it. _And_ he was right when he said she still had feelings for him. That arrogant son of a bitch. She'd never give into him again though. She may have almost slipped tonight, but she wouldn't let that happen again. She kept repeating in her mind to just focus on what she needed to do for him.

Speaking of which…she was incredibly nervous about having to suddenly testify in front of the counsel, for she felt immensely unprepared, especially since Jareth said he'd see her again the _morning of._ That was practically in a week. Which meant a whole week of being anxious, and worrying about what the hell would happen to Jareth without being prepped. She made a promise to herself that she would do anything she could to make sure he wouldn't lose his throne or his world though, no matter how much she pretended to resent him and the Underground.

Sarah exhaled as she plopped back down on her bed. Damn him and his bulge.

* * *

Jareth sat alone in his chambers that night by the fire, drinking a goblet of wine. He was back in his usual attire now, and couldn't stop thinking about Sarah. He hadn't wanted to ask for her help, but he had no choice. He needed as many witnesses as he could get, and Sarah could prove to be invaluable. Or so he hoped. He never knew what to expect when it came to the High Court. What's more, he couldn't believe he was in this situation to begin with. How had this happened?

Oh, right. Sarah is what happened. He'd fallen in love and experienced heart break for the second time in his long life. The first time it had happened was more so along the lines of his pride being deeply wounded, but still – it affected his emotions just enough to the point where the Labyrinth was spinning somewhat out of control. And then it happened again, this time two fold. He'd left this information out to Sarah of course; he didn't want to let her in on his current emotional predicament and how it was synchronous with the Labyrinth's stability. Or lack thereof.

He sipped his wine as he rubbed his forehead. He hated feeling stressed and he especially hated when he had no control over a situation. He only wished he could find solace in the one person who attempted to hate him.

It was a shame there was no one to grant _his_ wishes. What a pity.

* * *

 ** _*Jareth's Hearing: The Morning Of*_**

Sarah had somehow managed to fall asleep the night before the hearing, despite having one hell of a week being stressed out and frazzled. In fact, Friday night was the best night's sleep she had gotten since Jareth appeared a week ago. One could appreciate her anger then, when she felt something tickling her face, causing her to wake up.

"Wha…?" she mumbled as she opened her eyes slowly.

The moment her eyes focused, she saw three green faces staring at her with grins on their faces.

"Wakey wakey, Lady!" a voice in front of her said.

Sarah's eyes immediately enlarged and she sat up quickly in bed, trying to cover herself up and peered down at the three little goblins below her. That's when she noticed one of them was holding a feather – Sarah presumed that was the cause of the tickling sensation on her face moments ago. _That little fucker._

"Just what in the hell are you doing here!" she yelled.

"We was told to wake you up," said the goblin to the right of her. "G'morning!"

Sarah closed her eyes and shook her head haphazardly, confused as to why _they_ were here, and not Jareth. She tried to shake off the feeling of disappointment that swept through her momentarily.

"I thought Jareth was supposed to collect me," she said in an irritated and sleepy tone.

The goblin holding the feather spoke next. "Kingsy will gets ya, but he didn't wants to catch you in a 'indecent moment' as he puts it. So he asked us to wakes you."

 _How generous of him._ Sarah looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was 5:30 am. Way too early, she told herself. She looked back down at the three goblins, trying to think if she recognized them or not. She assumed she didn't, if she had to think about it. She let out a sigh and stretched.

"What time is he going to be here?" she asked, yawning.

"He said at 6:30 am exaca-tilly," the third goblin answered.

Sarah chuckled at the way the little goblin said 'exactly.' They were kind of cute, she supposed. "And what time does this thing start?" she then questioned.

"We don'ts know, just be ready at that time," her feathered friend said as he shrugged. "Bye lady!"

Sarah watched them scramble under her bed, and she furrowed her eyebrows at the sight. Is that how they got back to the Underground? Weird. She looked around her room, hoping they hadn't touched anything. When she accepted that nothing seemed out of place, she got out of bed and walked to her bathroom, where she splashed some cold water on her face.

Her elbows sat on the counter as she examined her reflection. She hated how there were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin looked a little pale, her hair lacking its usual shine. Why had she looked so…worn down? She sighed in defeat and began undressing to take a shower. She threw her Bowie t-shirt off and shimmied out of her underwear. While she did this, she was completely unaware that Jareth had just appeared in her bedroom and started walking to her bathroom.

"Sarah, I'm sorry to drop in on you like this, but – "

Sarah screamed as the sudden voice filled her bathroom, and she failed to cover herself in time when Jareth walked in on her completely nude.

"Gods! I'm sorry," he said, turning his head away the moment he walked in. "I didn't realize…"

"You didn't realize what!" Sarah asked, grabbing a nearby towel to wrap around herself. "I mean hello, it's a bathroom! People are usually naked, pooping or peeing in here!"

Jareth rolled his eyes. "You needn't be so descriptive with the events that take place in here, precious. Are you covered?"

"Yes," Sarah mumbled. _Thank god I had just gotten a Brazilian,_ Sarah thought. She then asked herself why that mattered and why she even cared. It was just Jareth…

He turned his head back around to look at Sarah again. He couldn't help but look her up and down; knowing she was naked under nothing but a towel had caused him to grow semi-hard in his breeches. He tried to not think about it, for he didn't want anything to be obvious, but he couldn't help but think how beautiful she was, the thought leaving him yearning for her.

Jareth cleared his throat to compose himself. "I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, I was told you were decent."

"Yeah well, I was. Like five minutes ago," Sarah replied. "What do you want? I thought I had till 6:30."

"You do, I merely wanted to go over a few things with you."

Sarah was obviously annoyed Jareth had shown up like this, but she was also kind of glad he was here to discuss some seemingly important things with her before this hearing. Relief washed over her, and she finally allowed herself a moment to take in his attire. He was wearing his usual tight, black breeches and boots. He also wore a long sleeved burgundy shirt with a black doublet, which had gold buttons down the center. She hated how he always looked so…good.

"Can I shower first?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip trying to look impatient and as though she wasn't just checking him out.

Jareth nodded, oblivious to her thoughts. "Of course. I'll…be out in the living room. Do…do you want any tea?"

 _Tea?_ Why had he asked her if she wanted _tea?_ Jareth cringed to himself, of all the things to ask…

"Uh, sure, I guess…" Sarah answered with ruffled eyebrows. He was seriously asking if she wanted tea? "I've got English Breakfast in the cupboard somewhere."

"I'll go prepare it," he said, turning away. He needed to get out there. The sight of a near naked Sarah was almost too much for him to bear. He walked out and away from danger zone.

"Well that was awkward," Sarah whispered to herself when he was gone. When she thought the coast was clear to get naked again, she threw off the towel and turned on the water in the shower. She looked over her shoulder before getting in, not wanting to admit to herself how much she secretly hoped Jareth was somehow watching.

Fuck. She bit her lip and shook her head, trying to rid herself of those thoughts.

This was going to be a long morning.

* * *

AN: I really need to start writing for my other stories, but I've been so lazy lately and this one is taking up my mind. Anyway!

Yeah, I'm always told the first year is the hardest in a relationship and I can say that for me and my boyfriend... it was haha. So was year 3 actually. We're going on year 5 now and we've never been happier. But for some the first year or two is full of rainbows, unicorns, and butterflies... this is what Jareth and Sarah mostly experienced together. Then things got harder as you will see. I'm trying to show how at ease they were together in the past. We'll get more of those moments in the story, whether they're through Sarah's thoughts or Jareth's.

So next chapter :) We'll be at the hearing where we'll hear Sarah and a few others testify in favor of Jareth. I wonder how that'll go...? We'll see! We'll also touch more on the breakup, for it still hasn't fully been said and honestly... I don't know if I'll get into the FULL reason until later. But hints and suggestions will be dropped plenty.

Oh and no smut...yet. Be patient! ;)

Please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**LEMONS BELOW ;)**

* * *

Jareth searched the kitchen, actively looking through the cupboards in an attempt to find the tea Sarah told him about, but he was having no success. He hadn't meant to barge in on her earlier. Those damn goblins swore she had just woken up and was decent, but he was too late in getting there while she still was. He just didn't anticipate her getting out of bed so soon to get ready. What's more, he was surprised she didn't put up a fight about agreeing to help him, especially on the night he initially asked for her help. They hadn't seen each other in months after all, so he expected her to put up more of a fight. But she hadn't.

He grumbled when he still hadn't found the tea and realized it was because he could hardly concentrate, for his mind was racing with thoughts of a naked Sarah. He looked away quick enough earlier, but got enough of a glimpse to remind him of what he was missing. All he could think about now was her writhing beneath him, screaming his name, nails digging into his back. He felt his groin tighten as he thought about the times he'd taken her; how he was fighting his desire and lust for her now. The idea of being with her again was leaving him hot and bothered.

"Blast this damn kitchen, where does she keep everything!" he suddenly yelled, growing impatient on the whereabouts of the tea.

How did he not know where anything was? He'd been here plenty of times, yet for some reason he couldn't focus and began mumbling to himself how ridiculous he felt doing this for her. Why had he offered to make her tea again? They were hardly friends, she didn't deserve his attentiveness.

The truth of the matter is, he had no idea what to say earlier. Seeing her in the nude moments ago took him completely off guard, leading him to blurt out the first thing that came to mind. She'd always liked tea in the past, so he supposed subconsciously he assumed it would ease the tension between them. Except now all he could think about was her naked body and how badly he wanted to see it again.

He let out a huff and closed his eyes as he stood in front of one such cupboard, trying to calm his brain. He had too many things to worry about, and he couldn't let Sarah and her gloriously delicious body distract him.

Opening his eyes again once he felt composed, he moved to the next cupboard where he finally found all of Sarah's coffee dispensers, tea bags, honey, sugar and more. He grabbed the box labeled English Breakfast and hastily opened it to begin preparing her tea. Just when he thought he had his shit together, Jareth's mind once again steered in the opposite direction to that of Sarah, and he couldn't help but give into the sensual thoughts of their past times together.

* * *

 ** _*Five years ago*_**

"Oh my gosh, that was amazing!" she exclaimed. "I forgot how beautiful it was there!"

After taking Sarah to an anticipated visit with her friends in the Labyrinth one particular afternoon, her attitude had skyrocketed into that of pure joy when they returned to her apartment. Jareth couldn't help but smile at Sarah's happiness; he loved seeing her like this. They'd only been together now for seven months and he was absolutely head over heels in love with her. He always had been, though she didn't know this yet.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Precious."

Sarah plopped down on her cushioned couch and sighed in contentment. "I did, I really did. Don't make me wait too long until we go back there," she pouted. "Please?"

Smirking, Jareth walked over to Sarah and kneeled on the floor in front of her. "I am your slave. How could I say no to you?"

She smiled and bit her lip. Standing up, she offered her hand to Jareth. "Come on."

"Where are we going now?" he asked, a grin taking over his face.

Sarah wriggled her eyebrows. "You'll see."

She led the two of them to her bathroom and began running a bath.

"What are you doing?" Jareth wondered.

"I would think it was obvious," Sarah responded, a mischievous grin taking over her face.

Oh. The small of Jareth's back ached with possibility. What kind of bath? For one or for two?

"Join me?" she then asked.

Okay, _that_ kind of bath. His body resumed feeling warm and ready, and he willed the bath tub to fill up faster with water.

"Well then. Take off your clothes." His voice came deep, quietly commanding.

Sarah obliged willingly. Reaching behind her back, she slowly untied her casual black halter top and let it drop to her waist, exposing her strapless black bra.

Jareth's expression was fully sexual, devoid of all amusement. "More."

He saw Sarah smile and she pushed the halter over her jeans. Jareth watched it drop around her sandals, and she reached behind her back and smoothly unhooked the bra, letting it fall as well.

Jareth's eyes locked on her breasts, knowing he was making Sarah's nipples tingle with desire. "So fucking beautiful," he said.

As the slow heat began to pervade both of them, Jareth then watched Sarah graze her palms up and over her bare stomach and onto the two mounds of flesh. She cupped the undersides of her breasts, letting their weight settle in her hands. Then she let her palms close fully over them, sensually squeezing as she met Jareth's gaze, as she saw the fire there and felt the results in her already-damp-for-him panties.

He growled as Sarah licked her upper lip. She continued to gently mold her breasts, and tweaked the nipples between her thumbs and forefingers, feeling how hard they were and as if they elongated even more at her touch.

"Don't stop," he demanded.

Sarah bent to undo the small buckles on her shoes, followed by the button on her jeans. She lowered the zipper and eased the denim over her hips until it hit the tile, leaving her in a black thong complete with embroidery and lace. She stepped free from the jeans and stood before him, drinking his gaze, predatory and all male.

She skimmed her palms up her thighs, then let them glide over her hips and back onto her ass, arching it into her hands as she thrust her breasts forward. Drawing her hands back around, she raked one finger teasingly over the front of her panties, then let it dip down inside. Her fingertip brushed briefly over her damp, swollen clit before she extracted it.

"Gods," Jareth uttered, his eyes glassy with want. "Let me taste you."

Sarah nodded happily, took a few steps forward and slipped her fingertip into his mouth. They both moaned when his lips closed around it, his tongue spiraling over the finger followed by a slight, suckling pull.

Releasing her finger, Jareth said, "I want more. Take your underwear off."

Sarah then eased her thumbs into the elastic at her hips, and peeled the thong down until it dropped to her ankles. Jareth wasn't shy about planting his gaze right where his interest lay – and at the moment, he studied her perfect pussy. He knelt to the floor and immediately leaned in to rake his tongue firmly up the center of her parted folds.

"Ugh, fuck, Jareth," Sarah whimpered.

He licked her again and again, from bottom to top, as if her pussy was an ice cream cone. Soon, he eased two fingers into her already soaked opening, giving her the sense of having him inside her. Jareth glanced up, his face still buried so sensually between her legs. His attention narrowed, focusing more tightly on her clit, and her breath became heavier. His skilled tongue swirled about the engorged nub, and then latched on, pulling it inside as his tongue thrust at it hard, making her orgasm hit.

Sarah moaned and arched her neck in response to the intense waves of sensation and cried out softly as she drove her pussy against his mouth, soaking in every pulse of pleasure to the end. When the feeling ebbed, she went still and Jareth eased back from her.

"You're so fucking gorgeous when you come," he said. "Get into the tub."

Doing as she was told, Sarah slowly worked her way into the hot water as Jareth undressed himself. When he joined her, he wasted no time in kissing her, his tongue expertly exploring Sarah's mouth.

"Mmm," she purred as their tongues rolled around together.

Sarah situated herself on top of Jareth until she felt the head of his shaft right where she wanted it.

"Fuck me," she begged.

"With pleasure." Jareth clamped his hands over hips and pushed her down to sheathe him.

They both groaned at the impact. "So big," Sarah murmured.

"Tell me you like it."

"I fucking love it," she sighed, then began to move on him.

Letting his palms close over her ass beneath the water, Jareth leaned in again to deliver a sensuous kiss. Sarah undulated on him in rhythmic circles, nearly undoing him right then and there. Soon, she moved harder and harder.

Peering up into her eyes, Jareth whispered to her. "Fuck me, Sarah. Fuck me just like that."

As Jareth's mouth closed over one sensitive nipple, she bucked against him, crying out. He suckled her hard, right, and she thrust her breast deeper into his mouth. As she rocked against him, Jareth grew aware that the water in the tub moved with them, and she was making rough waves, some splashing out, water flowing over the tub's edge.

Jareth felt her nails dig lightly into his chest, causing him to moan in joy, loving the very decadence of this moment – until he realized he was nearly submerged underwater. "Sarah. Stop."

She went still, panting. "What's wrong? Are you about to come? If you are it's okay, you already got me –"

"No, Precious. You're drowning me."

He'd somehow gradually slipped down into the tub as she'd ridden him so vigorously, and now his face rested barely above the water.

Sarah gasped and eased off his erection, allowing him to sit up. "Shit, I'm sorry babe. I didn't realize…"

He grinned indulgently, water dripping from the ends of his long hair. "I didn't want to interrupt you, but I was afraid you might push me under and not notice."

Warmth stained her cheeks. "My bad."

He lifted a wet hand to her face. "It's okay, wild woman. This tub might not be the best place for that position. Turn around and let me…"

* * *

 ** _*Present Day*_**

"Hey," he suddenly heard.

Jareth jumped a little at the abrupt voice, his thoughts of pleasuring Sarah coming to an end. She had entered the kitchen, her attire – or lack thereof – not going unnoticed when he turned towards her. He saw that she was wearing nothing but a short black robe, her hair was wet, and she was rubbing her hands together with what looked like lotion.

 _Is this woman trying to kill me!?_ he wondered. _Why would she come out here all scantily clad?_

Jareth gulped and looked away, not wanting to make it obvious that he had just been reminiscing on their past sex-capades, especially while she was wearing little to the imagination now. That evil vixen. She had to have known what she was doing. Before he turned away, he even saw her bite her lip knowingly, and he hated that she looked sexy as hell and knew it.

"That was a rather quick shower," he stated nonchalantly, grabbing a coffee mug nearby. Casually, he adjusted his breeches to make his erection less visible. He wanted to look unaffected by her.

Sarah sighed and took a seat on the barstool which was placed behind her high countertop. He could feel her eyes on him as he began to rummage around the kitchen, looking for a spoon now.

"Yeah, well. I'm nervous and realized I really did need tea. It soothes my stomach."

Jareth chuckled a little and ripped open the pouch containing the tea bag. "It always did. Do you still like lemon in it?"

"I hate that you know these things," Sarah said dryly.

Smiling, Jareth picked up the slice of lemon he'd already prepared earlier. "Need I remind you that we were together for quite some time, Precious," he replied. "I know you well whether you like it or not."

He handed Sarah her mug, but not before gliding his hand over it in order to fill it with hot water, followed by squeezing the slice of lemon so that the juice mixed in with the hot liquid. He then gave her the spoon that he picked up seconds ago.

"Thank you," Sarah mumbled, taking the mug and spoon.

Jareth nodded his head once. He was surprised she could put her pride aside and give gratitude for his efforts. "You're welcome."

He stood on the opposite side of the counter top and watched Sarah blow on her hot beverage and sip the tea slowly. He couldn't help but think how absolutely stunning she was. She didn't have a lick of makeup on and she looked a little tired, yet she superseded any woman and female Fae he had ever known. Sadness was beginning to creep in and take over his conscious; he hated that things had ended so badly between the two of them and he longed to make things right. But as he told himself earlier, he needed to concentrate on today and focus on what he came here to do: prep Sarah.

"I thought I might give you some insight as to how today will go," Jareth said after a few moments, leaning forward, his arms sprawled out on the granite counter.

"Yeah, I got that from when you walked in on me earlier," Sarah retorted. She looked up from her mug and gave a small smile, which indicated to Jareth that she was trying to alleviate some tension, though he still felt awkward about it.

He felt himself turn red and crossed his arms. "I apologize for that once again. I sincerely did not know you'd be… _naked_."

Sarah shrugged and continued to sip her tea without looking directly at Jareth. "It's okay. I know you aren't some pervert, plus I don't have anything you haven't seen before I guess."

She was right he supposed, but it didn't negate the fact it happened. "Still, I should have announced myself first," he countered. "The goblins…"

"Jareth, seriously," Sarah interrupted, setting her mug down and finally looking up. "It's fine. We don't need to discuss it anymore. What we _do_ need to discuss is this hearing."

"You're right," Jareth responded calmly.

"I'm nervous," she admitted out of nowhere and swallowed hard. "What if I say something that hurts you, or screws you over, or…" She shook her head, not being able to finish her sentence.

Jareth walked around the counter and took a seat on the other barstool next to Sarah. He loved that she actually cared about the things she might say, in fear that her words might harm rather than help him. It proved to him that he mattered to her still, regardless of everything that happened. He sighed and felt the need to rest his hand on Sarah's, but resisted, not knowing how she would react.

"Sarah," he began and looked her straight in the eye. "I trust you. We may not be in a good place with one another now, if ever, but I know you won't intentionally say something that impedes on my ability to be king. Like I told you before, you will be under a truth spell, so you're bound to tell the truth anyway. I'm not worried about your testimony; I'm only worried it won't be enough to help me out of my predicament."

She nodded in understanding. "What will happen?" she implored, her eyes ridden with fear.

Leaning back in the barstool, Jareth took a deep breath. "When we arrive at the Capitol, we will be escorted to the main hearing room. You will see many Fae, as well as the rest of the court members, which are comprised of elves, trolls, dwarves…the likes. Don't pay them any attention unless they speak directly to you, and _do not_ appear weak. You've been in the Underground enough to know the basics. Some ground rules will be given, followed by other nonsense most likely, just mind-numbing stuff. Then, the session will begin and someone I am affiliated with will give their own testimony. Once it is _your_ turn…the main counsel will ask you a series of questions regarding your past relationship with me. At least, that is what I'm assuming based off of previous hearings."

Before Jareth could continue Sarah furrowed her eyebrows and interrupted. "How many people are before me?"

"There are five people ahead of you," he stated.

Sarah's eyes widened at his statement. "Wait, only SIX people are testifying in favor of you?!"

"Yes."

"Why so few?" Sarah inquired.

Jareth wiped his hand down his face, feeling a bit impatient with all her sudden questions. "Six seemed adequate enough to me. They're all my closest subjects and colleagues, and really the only people I trust."

"Alright then…," Sarah said uneasily. "What else?"

"Don't interrupt the counsel," Jareth mentioned. "You'll feel compelled to be combative, knowing you, but just try to do otherwise. For both our sake. And just try to… _relax_."

Sarah scoffed. "Relax. Right. Who's all on our side?"

Sighing, Jareth responded, "Could be more than I think. But for certain, Hoggle, Kieran my advisor, Callum who is king in the southeast region, Amara, queen of the Wood Elves, and Krista, an ex-lover who is now…"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Excuse me?" Sarah interjected, shaking her head a little. "A past _lover_ is walking the plank for you? Who the hell is she?"

Jareth couldn't help but smirk at Sarah's immediate jealousy. Krista had been an old and close acquaintance of his for years; she'd been like a sister to him in fact. They hadn't slept together in forever because of that, though he wouldn't let Sarah in on that detail. The two had never met either.

"She's an old friend," Jareth replied. "Anyway…"

"No, don't _'anyway'_ me," Sarah remarked, her face getting red. "You never mentioned her to me before, what the hell Jareth?"

Jareth could feel satisfaction building up inside him. He loved getting her riled up. "My, my Sarah, is that jealousy I'm sensing?" he teased.

He watched Sarah clench her jaw and scoff. Seeing as she came out in a jarring outfit on purpose, he only saw it fit to mention Krista in retaliation. He laughed internally at how irritated she had become.

"Don't flatter yourself," she responded. "It's just annoying how you never mentioned to her me."

Sarah sipped her tea again, and Jareth couldn't help but notice that her attempts at looking unaffected by Krista were failing. He knew her mind was spinning now; perhaps he shouldn't have said anything. He needed her focused too.

"What happens after _Krista,_ or whoever goes before me, is done talking?" she then asked.

"You'll then be taken to the front of the room to attest," Jareth explained. "Once the main counsel feels as though they have gained enough insight from everybody, they will end the testimonies and call to order to make a judgement."

"And how long will that take?"

Jareth shrugged. "Could be hours…minutes…seconds. I'm not sure."

Sarah bit her lip in nervousness, if Jareth had to guess. "I guess we can't wait for the inevitable. Let me throw some clothes on and dry my hair. Then we can go."

Nodding, Jareth said, "As you wish."

* * *

At exactly 6:45 am, Jareth apparated himself and Sarah to the enormous citadel situated in the Capitol. It was a large, stone fortress where hearings of all variety took place, its ominous and dark tone succeeding at being intimidating. It was a place that told its visitors you can't escape the truth. If this place was bad, Jareth hated to think what actual prison looked like. He hoped that wasn't in his imminent future.

When they arrived, they were immediately escorted by several guards, all of whom wore armor bearing the High King and Queen's sigil on their breast plate – the lion. Jareth noticed that Sarah was slightly shaking. He brushed his hand against hers, trying to ease her mind, though he really wasn't sure how this would end himself. She looked to him and gulped as he nodded once, indicating it was nearly time.

They all walked in tense silence to the hearing room. Jareth was trying to keep himself calm, though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. He hated uncertainty, and he didn't trust the counsel whatsoever.

"Who are they?" Sarah whispered to Jareth, breaking him free of his roaming thoughts.

He leaned in slightly, but kept his eyes ahead on the back of the two guards who were slightly ahead of them.

"Just Fae guards, meant to keep things in order should anybody get out of control," Jareth explained. "I've been to enough of these hearings myself where I've witnessed disorderly conduct arising."

"Great," Sarah mumbled. "This should be interesting."

Jareth sighed. He felt terrible that Sarah was put in this position, but he needed her help. And she had agreed, much to his appreciation. He knew there were plenty in the Underground who wished to see him either dead or abdicated from his throne, seeing as he was one of the most powerful Fae around. He truly hoped everything would turn out in his favor, but he really hadn't a clue what would happen. Who would be testifying against him? Would anybody? He'd find out soon.

Everyone stopped when they had reached the large doors, the hearing soon to take place on the other side. Jareth took a deep breath.

"Ready, Precious?" he asked, turning to look at a ghostly white Sarah.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied softly, looking straight ahead.

The door opened. Blinding, bright light took over Jareth senses as they stepped inside.

 _Please let this end well_ , he prayed.

* * *

AN: Alright, we get more insight into everything next chapter. Like...why S+J broke up. Or at least, we'll learn more about it. I'm still trying to keep the FULL reason a secret until later. ;)

Sex in bathtub = messy. But worth it.

What will happen to Jareth? :O Please review and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow this one hadn't been updated in quite some time! Honestly I hadn't updated because I didn't know how people were taking to the story so I kind of got into the mindset of "fuck it." But I recently got a review on it, re-read the story, and was like, "hmm, I actually do like this one so I'll update it."**

 **Still not sure how others feel about it. But ah what the heck, figured I'd give it an update anyway. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter either so I may come back to it and edit it lol. But...probably not. Maybe. We'll see!  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

While Jareth silently prayed to himself hoping this wouldn't end with his head on a platter, all Sarah thought about was the fact that she couldn't believe she was back in the Underground. With Jareth. About to testify on his behalf. How had she managed to get in this position again? _Oh. Right._ She'd been stupid enough to fall in love with an otherworldly being all those years ago and be dragged into his minutia that's why. She thought that by ending things she'd be completely done with him and all the drama that came with. How wrong she was.

 _Let's just get this over and done with,_ she told herself. _You'll testify. And then everything will go back to normal. Won't it?_

Panic crept into Sarah suddenly at the thought of what could actually go wrong, but before she could contemplate on running away, the door opened and she let out a large gulp. Ready or not, this was happening. Brightness of the sun that poured into the large courtroom and onto her had made her squint, throwing her off momentarily as she walked alongside Jareth. When her eyes finally adjusted, she wanted to bolt, Jareth's possible death be damned.

Hundreds or more of what she knew to be noble Fae sitting in rows of wooden benches throughout the room were now aware of the pair's entrance, and they stared intently at she and Jareth, like vultures waiting to feed upon their prey. She'd recognized some of them from her time in the Underground, and she wondered if they knew she and Jareth were no longer together.

Sarah clenched her jaw in intimidation and clung her arms close to her side. She suddenly felt very exposed and naked as she walked side by side with Jareth down the aisle way that lead to the front of the large and cold room. Her head fell down on its own accord, but she let her eyes wander to the sides, the whispers from among the crowd not going amiss by her. _What were they saying? Were they surprised to see her today?_

"Stand up straight," she then heard Jareth murmur in a way only she could hear.

As though on auto drive, Sarah instantly did as she was told and that's when she saw what lay straight ahead: the High King and Queen of the Underground sat in their fancy throne chairs, their gazes upon the former couple. They were a striking pair, kind of like George and Amal Clooney. And they were scary as fuck, especially with their guardsmen standing on either side of them.

"It'll be alright, Sarah," Jareth added, sensing Sarah's fear. "Just try to relax, like I said."

She instantly scoffed as she'd done earlier that morning at the ridiculous idea, still keeping her eyes focused on the royal twosome as they continued to walk. Something from the other side of the room caught her attention though, and her eyes drifted to the left. In the corner she saw Hoggle, Kieran, Callum, and two other people who Sarah had never met before, but she deduced they were _Krista_ and Amara. She wasn't able to get a good look at Krista for her head was down, but she and Hoggle instantly made eye contact. She gave him a sad smile and he lifted his hand to say 'hello.' They both gave each other a knowing glance, recognizing the shit show they found themselves to be in with no way out.

Taking in Hoggle's expression and the room that surrounded her, Sarah didn't even notice that Jareth had come to a halt, causing her to run into his back. She didn't realize she had somehow ended up behind him.

"Fuck," she mumbled, embarrassment flooding her. "Sorry."

Jareth looked over his shoulder and enlarged his eyes at her, which heavily suggested, " _Get your shit together_." Sarah cleared her throat and stepped to stand next to Jareth again. They now stood directly in front of the King and Queen, the monarchs regarding Sarah warily.

She bit her lip, and couldn't help but let her eyes trail to the right; seated next to the High King and Queen was another small area that contained the other kings and queens from the Underground. Sarah knew this because she'd met a few of them before as well. Two seats were empty, however, and that's when Sarah remembered two of them were giving testimonies in favor of Jareth. She wondered how that would go down…talk about awkward politics. She tilted her head slightly at all of them, noting their good looks. _Jeeze, were all Fae and Elves this attractive? Hell even the rugged dwarf dude is kinda hot._

Her eyes then trailed back to the High King and Queen and she tried remaining cool and collected. The King reminded her of an older Sam Neill, only he had a full beard and longer, collarbone-length white hair. His Queen – though noticeably older than most Fae – had a youthful appearance, with her waist length chestnut hair and minimal wrinkles. Still, you could sense the years of wisdom on her. She looked either utterly bored, or she had the 'resting bitch face' look down and perfected.

"Jareth," the King finally said, acknowledging his presence only. "How nice of you to finally join us."

"I didn't realize I was late," Jareth rebutted.

The King shrugged. "We changed the time," he said nonchalantly.

Sarah heard Jareth growl under his breath. "Yet no one thought to tell me this?"

"Apparently not," laughed the King, thinking it was the funniest thing on the planet that Jareth wasn't told about the hearing time being changed.

Neither Jareth nor Sarah saw the humor in this situation, and it was taking every ounce of Jareth to not blow up and go off on the court. "My sincere apologies then," he said through clenched teeth. "Not to make excuses, but I _did_ have to tend to the mortal standing next to me. You expected her presence today, did you not?"

The moment Jareth regarded Sarah as ' _the mortal,_ ' her head turned so fast to look at him that she thought she might break her own neck.

The King took his time in looking Sarah up and down in appreciation, though she didn't notice this right away as her attention was currently on Jareth.

"I did," the King answered. "This must be your infamous _mortal lover._ I've heard stories. The others here were not lying about her beauty."

That caught Sarah's attention; she turned to look back at the King, who had subtly adjusted his pants, causing her to fidget. Jareth ignored Sarah's obvious discomfort and his own fury and continued to speak as though she weren't there standing next to him. Something she was far too used to here. "Then you must understand that because she is mortal, she needed to be pacified. You know how feeble they can be."

Sarah's mouth opened on its own. _Excuse me?! Did he just refer to me as some pathetic, lowly, insignificant mortal?! This insufferable, piece of…_

"Identify yourself for the record," the Queen suddenly demanded from Sarah, ignoring the bantering between her husband and Jareth.

Sarah's head turned back to the royals, her eyebrows furrowing. "Me?" she questioned, pointing to herself.

The Queen rolled her eyes. "No, the mortal standing next to you," she said. "Yes, _you._ We obviously know who Jareth is."

 _Ew, rude!_ "I'm Sarah," she said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Sarah Williams. But you already knew that."

The Queen pursed her lips while the King snickered at Sarah's defiance. "And what is your affiliation with the defendant?" the Queen asked.

Sarah shook her head in confusion, not understanding why the Court needed her to say this if they already knew the answers to these questions. "I…" Sarah looked to Jareth, who silently urged her to just say it. "I'm Jareth's ex-girlfriend."

The crowd gasped and the voices got louder as gossip was being spilled uncontrollably, making Sarah feel even more uncomfortable. She couldn't help but turn her head around to look at them, irritation and fear taking over.

"Silence," the King ordered. The whispers started to hush, and the room was once again eerily silent, save but for the voice of the King. "Lady Sarah," he said after several seconds, causing her to turn back once more. "Do you know why you are here today?"

She shrugged. "Because I'm supposed to testify for Jareth? To help him?"

"From what?" the King inquired, wanting to see what she knew.

"You tell me," she said on impulse and with attitude, crossing her arms. "You're the one who wanted us here today, _did you not?_ "

Jareth shut his eyes and huffed. He knew she wouldn't be able to help herself. _Damn her._

The King laughed. "Ooh, a mortal with fire and sass. No wonder my loins are burning! It's a shame I never got the pleasure of meeting her like others in here, Jareth. I would have liked to have gotten to know her."

Sarah squirmed internally and she could feel her lip curl in disgust all on its own. _Who the fuck did this guy think he was_?! Her eyes wandered to that of the Queen, who maintained her composure even though Sarah could sense the anger rising inside. Not just from the Queen, but from Jareth as well.

Jareth curled his knuckles at the King's suggestion, and turned his head to the left, smirking. "I'm sure you would have. I doubt she feels the same, however."

Jareth and the King just stared at each other, both testing the limits of the other. Sarah looked back and forth between the King and Jareth, waiting for something to happen, but when nothing did, she let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

The King merely laughed out loud a moment later. "Oh, Jareth how I have _missed_ you at court." He then whispered to the guard standing next to him, and despite not looking directly at the woman, Sarah could feel the Queen's eyes boring into her. She refused to look her way, and instead kept her eyes on the King.

The obnoxious man ceased his discussion with the guard, who stepped down and came towards Sarah. "The guard will take Lady Sarah to sit with the rest of your witnesses," the King explained. "Jareth, you will remain right where you are and will continue to stand there until this trial is adjourned."

"Jareth?" Sarah panicked, as the guard grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from him towards Hoggle and the others.

On command, Jareth took a step towards Sarah, who was being taken to sit with the others. He stopped himself in time before making a scene, and curtly nodded to her, letting her know that everything would be alright. He hated himself for putting her in this situation. If only he could have gotten his damn emotions under control since the time they ended things. He watched helplessly as Sarah was man handled.

"Jesus Christ," she said out loud, as soon as she reached the witness area. Shaking her arm out of the hold from the guard, she told him, "You didn't have to grab me so hard, you asshole."

The guard – whose face was hidden under his helmet – looked to the King for some guidance on how to handle this situation.

The King simply laughed. "Fire! Fire indeed!"

"Please sit, Lady Sarah," the Queen chimed in, growing exasperated with her husband's behavior.

Sarah sighed in frustration, but sat down nonetheless behind Hoggle and next to some female who was clearly an Elf.

 _She must be Amara_ , Sarah thought. She'd never met her before. Next to Hoggle was Callum, then Kieran, and the mysterious Krista.

"If we may," the Queen began impatiently. "Can we please get on with this?"

The King nodded, trying to compose himself and get serious again. "Certainly, my Queen. Now then. Jareth. Do _you_ know why you are here today?"

Jareth nodded and kept it simple and short. "Because apparently I'm unfit to rule."

The King furrowed his eyebrows, expecting Jareth to say more. "Precisely," he said, rubbing his chin. "And your stance is that you disagree?" he questioned.

"Yes," was all Jareth said.

"How shocking." The King sighed and spoke to the entire room. "We will begin by listing out the charges against this Fae, who will then have a chance to give an opening statement. The witnesses will next be called forth, one by one. Each will give a declaration on why they're in… _favor,_ of this misguided _ruler."_

Sarah couldn't help but seethe at the King's implication and felt an immense compulsion to stand up and defend Jareth. Sure he was a lot of things, but _misguided_? As a ruler? She didn't take too fondly to the insults being thrown his way and she suddenly couldn't wait to get up to the dais and give this court a piece of her mind.

"We will finish with the defendant giving a closing statement, after which a discussion will be held," the King continued. "A discussion wherein we, the Queen, myself, and the other rulers to my left will decide on his fate." The King now looked directly at Jareth. "May the Gods be with you."

Jareth nodded once in understanding, keeping his face void of any sort of emotion, though inside the complete opposite was occurring.

"Jareth," the King started to say. "Ruler of the Labyrinth, master of dreams and wishes, and King of the Goblin City: you are hereby being charged of reckless abandonment of your duties as overseeing the Underground's life source. You have neglected your obligations by irresponsibly engaging in an intimate relationship with a mortal from Aboveground. Due to the nature of your _failed_ relationship and the inability to get a hold on yourself, the Labyrinth has fallen ill which directly impacts the lives of all here. We take our duty as counsel very seriously, which is to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the Underground, and only grant the privilege of ruling to someone who is suitable. Today we will determine whether or not you are suitable and whether said privileges will continue. This decision can possibly be swayed by those you have called upon here today to give a statement in favor of you. Do you have anything to say before we call upon the first witness?"

Jareth remained in his standing position, hands behind his back, and addressed the other rulers of the Underground. "The only thing I wish to say is… keep an open mind. For things are not always what they seem, and you can't take anything for granted. Your decision today, should it not be in my favor, might have unwanted consequences."

Sarah's face scrunched, and she looked down and away from Jareth, trying to figure out the meaning behind his subtle threat.

"That's it?" the King asked in a genuinely surprised tone. "Hmph. Well, you're not going to get very far. I knew groveling was too beneath you." The King huffed and looked to the witnesses. "Now, before we start hearing from you bunch, I want to point out that we have two of our very own royals siding with the defendant today." He looked to Callum and Amara. "You both realize what it is you are doing?"

Callum and Amara merely nodded.

"Very well, then," the King said in a sing song voice; almost threateningly. He picked up a piece of paper in front of him and continued to speak. "Let's begin with…" he peered down to the paper in his hands, trying to read off from it and straining to see the words. "Damnit, who made this blasted font the size of a pixie?!" he yelled.

The Queen rolled her eyes and took the piece of parchment from her husband's hands. "Hoggle," she read aloud. "Please come to the dais."

Hoggle groaned and hopped down from his seat and hobbled over to the dais that stood in between the monarchs and Jareth, but faced the King and Queen. The podium was much taller than Hoggle though, and Sarah frowned at the laughs that came from every one as they watched Hoggle stand behind the podium, trying to reach up and lower it so that he may deliver his speech.

Jareth frowned as well, but could do nothing, despite wanting to, for he was told to remain where he was and he knew he couldn't use his magic to help his subject. He glared at the King who was undoubtedly enjoying watching Hoggle struggle to lower the dais himself, and finally intervened in the only way he could.

"If you want to get on with this, might I suggest helping my witness in lowering the stand so that he can provide his testimony? Unless of course, you'd rather sit here all day and hire him on as a jester instead."

The King stopped laughing and tilted his head, looking at Jareth observantly. Before he could bite back at Jareth, the Queen stepped in. "I for one, do not wish to be here all day. Why don't you do as the Goblin King suggested and lower the podium? For all our sakes."

Jareth smirked, and the King grumbled, waving his hand to lower the stand for Hoggle.

"Thank you, my Queen," Jareth said.

"It wasn't for your benefit," she countered and then turned her attentions back to Hoggle. "Dwarf, you will see that there is a vial in front of you. In order to give a true testimony, you will need to drink the serum. Do you accept?"

"I do," Hoggle replied and he drank the serum, wiping his mouth after he was done.

"State your affiliation with Jareth," the King decreed.

"I'm his subject and gardener," Hoggle answered.

"Gardener?" the King teased. "You're his _gardener_ and you're giving a testimony in his favor? How rich. Please, do go on, I'm anxious to hear this."

Sarah and everybody else listened as Hoggle gave his favorable testimony about how Jareth was a tough but fair king, and that he always had his subject's best interest at heart. Hoggle said how much he appreciated his job as gardener and caretaker of the Labyrinth. He also explained Jareth's role in overseeing runners and knew he tried to make it as hard as he could to appease the entity.

There was so much about the Labyrinth that Sarah never knew, and she found herself becoming captivated by Hoggle's explaination on how the Labyrinth essentially got off on the runners' frustration in the maze; what Sarah was able to deduce was that the harder it was for them, the happier the Labyrinth was. She got goosebumps at the thought of the living entity being so sociopathic and needy. Who would have thought? Jareth did say it saw her as its other ruler and master, so maybe it really was acting out due to her absence. _Yikes._

"And that's why I think Jareth oughta continue ta be ruler of the Labyrinth, and king of the goblins," Hoggle concluded.

"Thank you for that, Higgle," the King said and Sarah fought back the need to correct him. "Now, tell me. What do you know of Sarah Williams?" the King then asked, seemingly ignoring everything else Hoggle said. "Are you… _friends_ with her?"

Hoggle noticeably gulped, and turned to look at Sarah. Her lips parted and she looked at him with pity, hoping that whatever he said next didn't get him into trouble.

"Yes," he answered, looking down. "I am. I've known her since she was a young girl."

"How young?" the Queen asked.

"Fifteen."

Again, gasps from the crowd and whispers filled the room. Sarah didn't need to be psychic to see that everybody saw how scandalous this all was so far.

"And…how did _you_ come to meet her at such a young age?" the King inquired, being extra nosey.

"She ran the Labyrinth," Hoggle answered dejectedly. "After she wished her baby brother away. I…I helped her win."

She and Jareth both could tell Hoggle hated outing them like this; he'd kept the true beginning of their relationship a secret like he promised his king, and now he felt he was betraying them both, despite the court already knowing this information.

The King feigned shock as though he were completely taken off guard. "You mean to tell the court…that _she,_ a young mortal girl, ran the Labyrinth previously? And _you, a loyal subject to Jareth,_ helped her defeat it?" He gasped, pretending he was oblivious to everything.

"Yes," mumbled Hoggle.

"So you committed treason," the Queen stated; it wasn't a question.

Hoggle shook his head. "No, you don't understand, I was told to..."

"We get it, Dwarf," the King interrupted. "A feat that is supposed to be near impossible and made as difficult as can be by none other than Jareth himself, was compromised."

The whispers among the audience started up again. _Oh, no. The King was doing a good job at making Jareth look weak._

The King hushed everyone and looked to Jareth. "Oh, Jareth. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to mix business with pleasure?" He made it a point to turn and look at Sarah directly as he said his next words and licked his lips. "Though, I can't say I blame you."

Sarah gave him a scorned look, causing him to grin devilishly. His attentions then went back to Jareth and his expression and tone now turned serious. "No wonder the Labyrinth is unhinged," he said with contempt. "Its ruler was _distracted_." The King waved his hand passively as he spoke again. "You may sit down, dwarf. If we have follow up questions, we will ask later. Who's next?"

The Queen read off the list again, and this time Kieran – Jareth's advisor – came to the podium. Hoggle sat back down and sighed in sadness, causing Sarah to place her hand on his shoulder trying to console him. None of this was his fault.

When Kieran spoke, he essentially gave the same speech as Hoggle, and told the court how fond of Jareth he was and how much he enjoyed serving him over the long years. Not only did he work for Jareth, but he came to think of him as a close friend as well. The court of course asked what his relationship with Sarah was like, with Kieran telling them that he and Sarah got along for the most part and Jareth's subjects seemed to love her.

"Do you think she is the cause of the Labyrinth's instability?" the King asked, peering down at his nails, acting uninterested.

Kieran gulped and looked to Sarah with apologetic eyes. "Yes."

"Yet you side with Jareth," the Queen stated with narrowed eyes.

Kieran nodded. "I blame her for hurting my king. She's a femme fatale, just look at her."

Sarah's mouth opened and she was dumbfounded. She felt everyone's eyes on her in that moment, and she could feel herself shrinking in her seat, wanting to scream. _I could punch this man!_

"But I know in my heart that Jareth can overcome his anguish and continue to rule as he had been doing before she came into his life," Kieran added. "No one is perfect. And you all know how successful Jareth has been at taming that wretched entity we depend on. I ask that you give him another chance so he can prove his worthiness."

Sarah was more than perturbed at Kieran's words. Not only was she completely insulted that he'd blamed her for all of this – he called her a femme fatale! – but what was this about _Jareth's anguish?_ What does that have to do with anything? She knew there was more than Jareth had let on, there had to be; there was no way the Labyrinth was acting out solely because she wasn't its other _ruler_ like Jareth said _._ She needed more information. And fast.

"Thank you, Advisor Kieran," the King said dispassionately. "We'll of course take your words into consideration. Next."

For the next hour, Sarah listened to Callum and Amara. They too, fought hard over Jareth's reputation as the ultimate tamer of the Labyrinth, a good king to his subjects, and a loyal subject himself to the High Court. Callum mentioned he'd only met Sarah briefly once before at a ball and thought she was innocent enough, but that he did witness a fight between the two; about what, he didn't entirely know, he just saw and overheard them yelling at each other. Sarah was overcome with embarrassment; if that was the fight she thought it was he overheard, she hated to think of who else may have seen. _Shit._

He defended their coupling though, and noted that feelings are fleeting and he had high hopes that all would sort itself out. Amara agreed with Callum and tried reasoning with the rest of the monarchs that this was temporary; Jareth's emotions would settle down eventually and he'd be able to think clearly again. She explained that she'd never met Sarah before, but she'd heard things from Jareth and always encouraged him to follow his heart. That made Sarah smile.

However, at this point, she was also about to lose it. She still didn't have the whole picture down and was growing aggravated that she couldn't piece together what Jareth's feelings and emotions had to do with anything! She just wanted to know why the Labyrinth was being dysfunctional!

"Thank you, Amara. We will now move on to our second to last witness," the Queen said while Amara came to sit back down. "Krista. Please rise and come to the dais."

Sarah had almost forgotten about her. She watched as the brown haired woman sitting directly in front of her stood up and walked towards the front of the room. She wore a blood red dress, and her long, black hair went down all the way to her tailbone. Sarah snarled and rolled her eyes to herself, so far unimpressed with how this female looked from the back.

 _So this is Jareth's former lover, huh? She's probably hideous and has…_

Sarah's negative thoughts ended and her eyes widened when Krista faced the audience, holding both sides of the dais.

 _Holy Moses. She has to be the most attractive woman I've ever seen. Her eyes! They're so blue. How are her lips so naturally full? And her boobs! Are those real…?_

"Krista, you will see that there is a vial in front of you," the Queen spoke. "In order to give a true testimony, you will need to drink the serum. Do you accept?"

"I do," Krista answered. Without hesitation, she drank the serum like it was nothing as the rest had done. She sat the small vial down back on the podium and looked ready to go to war.

The Queen nodded in understanding. "What is your affiliation with Jareth?"

"I'm a close friend of his," Krista said suggestively. "We go back ages."

"How close?" the King wanted to know, raising his eyebrows.

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows, wanting to know if the King was always this immature.

" _Very close_ , your grace," Krista replied curtly. "May I begin talking now? Or would you like to know the size of his cock, too?"

The crowd laughed, and Sarah pursed her lips, feeling her nostrils flare. What the hell kind of trial was this? This bitch just insinuated she and Jareth were fuck buddies at one point! And everyone was okay with the fact she mentioned his cock like it was no big deal? She glanced over at Jareth, who refused to look her way. In fact, come to think of it, he hadn't looked in her direction one damn time since this started.

"We do not need to know the extremities of your past relationship," the Queen answered, giving her husband an accusatory look. "Please go on."

Krista took a deep breath, the swell of her breasts rising at the same time. "I've known Jareth for a very long time. We first met at the Spring Equinox Festival many, many years ago. Perhaps several hundred at this point. I of course knew who he was, and sought out his affections that night. I don't need to go into large detail as to what occurred between us, but our relationship with one another did not end after that tryst." She took another breath, and continued. "As time went on, we continued to see each other informally and there would be times where I spent all day with him at his castle. Not necessarily in a sexual manner, you see; we enjoyed each other's company without it. And in my experience, I've always known Jareth to be a very tenacious, strong willed king.

He did his job, regardless of how difficult it often was for him. And he did it well. He _continues_ to do it well. I'm not sure you all realize just how challenging it is to be ruler of an entity that is fundamentally our life source. Keeping one's emotions in check _nearly all the time?_ Just so the Labyrinth can stay in harmonious equilibrium? Can any of you even imagine having to constantly worry about that? No, you couldn't, could you? You're all happy to go back to your homes at the end of the day and drink your wine, sleep soundly at night, cry when you're sad and despair when you need to without worrying that you might cause extinction. You do not have the responsibility of managing something that is eons old and uncontrollable for practically all of our kind. In fact, _Jareth_ is the only Fae in history to have done his job successfully as Goblin King for not only as long as he has, but to do it _right._ He was chosen, after all. Now, I'm not naïve; I am aware that he's had some slipups. But two, out of how many prosperous years? We're all still here, aren't we?"

The King sneered. "Barely," he said. "Should he continue as King who knows what might happen?"

"I wasn't done yet, your grace," Krista retorted, giving him a scornful gaze.

At this point, Sarah had been listening intently and was using Krista's testimony to finally try and piece together what was truly happening with the Labyrinth. _So…there was a correlation between Jareth's emotions and the Labyrinth's stability? What the hell?_

The King stuck out his palm face up, indicating she could continue, a grin plastered on his face. It was as though he enjoyed getting under people's skin.

"None of us can help who we fall in love with," Krista continued. "And try as we might, we can't always help how we feel after a heartbreak. But as the others have stated, feelings are fleeting. Jareth can, and will, overcome this. He's stronger than you give him credit for, and I can guarantee that if you deny him the crown, we could all very well perish."

As the crowd and other monarchs murmured and argued amongst themselves, that's when it hit Sarah: the Labyrinth wasn't acting out because it was mad that she had beaten it or that she _wasn't_ ruling it with Jareth, though perhaps that didn't help things. No – the real reason the Labyrinth was going crazy was because…because of their breakup!?

"Oh my god," Sarah said to herself. _Of course! Jareth was heartbroken!_

Jareth was heartbroken...and his grief was causing the Labyrinth to act unstable. It all made sense now. The court recognized this and now they're trying to have him step down from his position as ruler. All because of a fucking breakup?!

 _Fuck._

Sarah huffed and wanted to slap herself. And laugh at the absurdity of it all. Hasn't anyone gone through a breakup before? Then again, they didn't have Jareth's position as a-supposed-to-be emotionless robot. So maybe this really was all her fault. How the hell was she going to talk her way out of this one?

"I object!" Sarah suddenly yelled without any thought.

And then all eyes were on her again.

 _What the hell had she just done.  
_

* * *

Next chapter Sarah is in the spotlight! More information on their break up - we'll finally find out what happened/led to it - and the next chapter I'll try to incorporate more from Jareth's POV. Wanted to focus mainly on Sarah's thoughts here.

Any guesses on why Sarah and Jareth broke up? What they disagreed on?

So if you've seen Thor:Ragnarok, imagine the King to look like Sam Neill dressed up as Odin during the 'play' scene. The Queen, I envision a Jayne Semour-esque look.

Krista- Megan Fox. I know, I know. You might all laugh. But back in like...2006/2007, I thought she was the sexiest woman on this planet. Transformers day? WOWZA. Beautiful.

Callum- Daniel Gillies. So handsome.

Amara- Phoebe Tonkin. Gorgeous and totally elvish looking.

Kieran- Joseph Morgan, but maybe a smidge older and with longer hair. He kind of looks like a wimp.

Please review, they make me happy!


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